


Fallen

by KawaiiSatan



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: F/M, FC - Freeform, Fallen Angel, Manga Based, OC, Plot Divergent, angel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-10-05
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-21 12:32:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16576550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiiSatan/pseuds/KawaiiSatan
Summary: For reasons now unknown to Naemini, she has fallen from Heaven's grace and must live out her life on Asiah. Mephisto Pheles happens upon the amnesiac girl and takes her under his wing, introducing her to the world of Exorcists and Demons. She is content to live her life without her past memories, but when Rin Okumura appears in her life she's thrown into something much bigger than anything she ever expected.-------This is a re-upload of my old OLD OLD work from Wattpad. I'm not likely to ever complete it but feel free to give it a read.





	1. Prologue: The Runaway

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fallen](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/431534) by Me. 



She snuck quietly through the hallway, careful not to step on the single floorboard that always groaned under the weight of anyone who so much as breathed on it. As she passed the open door she peered in for a moment, watching the person sleeping within. The woman slept soundly on her side, exhaling softly as she unconsciously brought her legs up closer to her chest. The girl smiled, content with the fact the woman slept so soundly she never heard the girl walking around at night.

She crept out into the main hall. None of the attendants were out about cleaning, so she was able to walk freely in the middle of the room. The girl grinned, trying not to giggle in her excitement in case it would wake the woman. She walked quicker now to the door. Slowly she pried it open and it creaked. She froze, waiting for someone to wake and come out to keep her away from her freedom. To tell her about the frights of the outside world.

She didn't care about scary things. Why should she when beautiful things like trees and animals and nature existed in greater quantities?

But no one woke. No one entered that main hall to tell her to go back to her bed. No one to tell her no. She grinned and slipped out the door, closing it gently behind her.

Tonight she'd leave her so-called home once and for all, and head into the city.


	2. Prologue 2: The Mother

The woman woke. It was just like any other day; light filtered gently in through the curtains, the smell of breakfast being cooked by the attendants wafted through the halls, and she was well rested. Slowly she slid out of bed and slipped her house slippers on. She moved through the hallway to the opposite end. Softly she knocked on the door.

"Sweetie, it's time to wake up~!" She chimed. She waited a moment for a response, a groan, or even the sound of moving bed sheets. However, they never came. She became curious, how tired was that girl today? She quietly pushed open the door and peeked in. "Sweetie...?"

There was an unmoving lump in the girl's bed, but something wasn't right. The woman quietly walked to the canopied bed and reached in to grab the covers. She pulled them back and gasped. Nothing but a few pillows were under the covers.

The woman shrieked, "WHERE IS SHE? Where is my darling?! Find her!!!"

The attendants began tearing through the house, as did the woman, desperately searching for the girl. But she was nowhere to be found.

The woman wailed and sank down into a chair. She held her face in her hands and started sobbing. Where had she gone? Where had her sweet baby disappeared to?


	3. Prologue 3: The Demon King

A man stood on the very top of a clock tower, overlooking the city with a bored scowl on his face. His white cape billowed gently in the breeze. He looked clownish in his white get up, especially with his knee-length poofy pants and purple hair. His clothing was bright and would stand out in any crowd. Unless of course, it was a crowd of clowns.

"If only something fun would happen...," he sighed. 

As if on cue, a shriek rang out from somewhere in the city. The man spun to face the direction from which it came. He grinned. "Perfect."

With a laugh, he leapt into the air. Anyone else would have fallen, but instead, he bounded through the air, as if he were skipping through a meadow. He let himself fall gently from the air and onto a sidewalk. The shrieking grew louder as he turned the corner into an alleyway.

Not far from him at all was an enormous gremlin. It had its arm in a narrow space between two of the buildings, trying to reach something that was just barely outside its grasp. He assumed it was a girl, considering the shrieking and wailing.

"Well, I can't let you harass innocent civilians now can I?" He laughed. Out of nowhere he summoned his umbrella and twirled it a few times. "Ein... Zwei.. Drei!!!"

He pointed the tip at the gremlin just as it sparked and shot a blast of light at the beast. The gremlin let out a bloodcurdling death cry before disintegrating. The man pursed his lips. "That was too easy... No fun."

With a sigh, he strutted forward and peered around the corner and into the space between the two buildings. His mouth formed a small "o" as he saw the girl who cowered against the wall. "Oh my, what do we have here~?"

She had long, thick almost opalescent hair that was almost feathery, and reached her mid-back. Her eyes were a bright fuchsia purple, rimmed with long thick eyelashes. Her skin was ridiculously pale as well, but none of this really stood out to him. What caught his eye were the two broken opal horns that protruded from the top of her head.

"Please just leave me alone!" She wailed, trying to push herself further back. "If this is one of your ways of punishing me for running away from home, God, please! I'm sorry!"

It was obvious to the man that this girl was beyond distraught; possibly even on the brink of having a mental breakdown! That is if she hadn't already had one. He stepped out from behind the corner and extended a hand to the girl. She flinched at first then stared at him.

"Wh-who are you?" She stuttered in between hiccups. "Please don't hurt me..."

He grinned and chuckled a bit. "Silly girl! I would never harm a lady that has done no harm to me!" He bowed and tipped his hat, trying to be courteous and make her smile. "My name is Mephisto Pheles, a pleasure to meet you, dear!"

Her eyes widened even more. "Mephistopheles? But you're--"

"Bah! I know what you're going to say, but let me assure you! I am not as bad as the stories say," he scoffed. The girl looked him over warily before taking his hand. "What might your name be?"

"Naemini," she replied hesitantly. Something clicked in his mind. That name and those horns... He grinned.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful young girl," he purred as he pulled her to her feet. "Do you have a place to return to by chance?"

"No," she murmured. "I have nowhere or no one to return to."

Mephisto could tell she was lying through her teeth by the way she looked past him, avoiding eye contact. He clucked his tongue and swept her up.

"No matter!" He chuckled as she yelped in surprise. He leapt up and once again began bounding through the air. "I have just the place for you to stay!"

 


	4. Chapter 1

"I can't believe he ditched me...," Naemini hissed under her breath. She stalked her way down the hall before coming to a stop in front of one of the several classrooms.

It was her first day of cram school. At True Cross Academy to be specific. She had been learning about Exorcists and Demons for the past few years with Mephisto as her teacher, but only recently had he suggested-- well more like pestered her, into attending the academy.

"Whatever, it's now or never." She put a glamour** on her horns to hide them and took a breath before entering the classroom.

She looked around the room and frowned. There were only eight other people in the classroom What a letdown. She sighed and let her eyes scan the room, looking for a suitable seat. She was about to choose one way in the back, away from the others, when something caught her eye.

In the very front row sat a guy with dark hair, and on his lap was a grey dog with some very brightly colored accessories. She growled and made a beeline straight for him. Without giving so much of a glance at the guy, she sat in the spot beside him and snatched the dog up from his lap. She heard the guy yelp in surprise but ignored him.

"Why the hell did you just leave me stranded in this giant ass building, huh?!" She hissed quietly so only the dog could hear. Oh, but this wasn't just a dog.

"I knew you'd be just fine on your own!" It chuckled quietly back. "Besides, I had to show Mr. Okumura here how to use the key to get into cram school and such." The girl's eyes narrowed and the dog began to shake a bit nervously.

"So you know Mephisto too?"

She finally looked up at the guy who sat beside her. His eyes were a shockingly bright blue and his face was somewhat rounded, going well with his semi-pale complexion. From just a once-over she could tell that he was definitely taller than her by a few inches. But something else caught her eye.

His ears were pointed.

Red flags. Red flags were going up everywhere in her mind. Pointed ears were a tell-tale sign of a person being a demon. Mephisto sensed her panic and pawed at her face.

"Calm yourself," he murmured. "You can trust Rin. I promise you."

Naemini's eyes flicked to Mephisto for a moment before locking back onto "Rin's" and she slowly put Mephisto back down. She cleared her throat. "Yes, I do actually," she managed. She felt calm again. Maybe she could do this. "He was supposed to help me get my bearings but I suppose you were more important..."

Rin blushed. "Oh, sorry," he apologized sheepishly. At least he was nice about it.

"It's fine," she replied.

"I'm Rin Okumura, by the way," he said a bit more loudly. "And you?"

"Naemini," she introduced. "No last name."

"Well Naemini is enough," he laughed. "A cute name for a cute girl." Naemini blushed and chuckled a bit despite herself. Suddenly the door slipped open and she looked to see the newcomer.

"Hello, class. I will be your instructor, Yukio Okumura," he spoke. He had brown hair, bright blue-green eyes, and glasses. He too was definitely taller than her, then again, almost everyone was... But his last name caught her attention. She turned to Rin. By the look on his face, she was right.

"Yukio?!" He hissed.

"Is he your brother?" Naemini murmured. Rin nodded, his eyes never leaving Yukio. She had to wonder why he seemed so upset. Did the two of them not get along?

Yukio began giving a quick speech about how he became an exorcist. Rin went rigid. "Yukio just so happens to be the youngest person to ever become an exorcist..." Mephisto murmured. "He's a genius in his field."

Naemini looked up to Rin again. Something told her that he hadn't known about Yukio's position...

"Yukio..!" He burst out suddenly.

"Class is in session, please be quiet and remain seated."

Ouch.

Rin was only more irritated by this. He continued to call out to his brother until eventually, Rin stood from his seat. "Ah..!" Naemini reached for him but he walked out of reach. 

He grabbed Yukio's arm. "Listen, man, we need to talk! Right now!"

The room fell silent and Yukio frowned. "What do you want to talk about?" He said with a sigh.

"You know exactly what," Rin hissed.

"I'm sorry, class. If you'll excuse me and Mr.Okumura for a moment and please step out into the hall."

There was a snort from someone else. "Sheesh... This guy is such a pain in the ass." Naemini whipped around to glare at the guy who said it as they all stood from their seats. He had short dark brown hair with a blonde "faux-hawk" and narrowed eyes. He wasn't all that good looking... At least not to her.

"What are you looking at?" He snapped as he stepped past her. She sneered at him.

"Nothin' pretty," she taunted.

A guy with pink hair giggled and slid out the door. Faux-hawk just growled and pushed past her and into the hall. With one last glance at Rin and Yukio, Naemini scooped up Mephisto and entered the hall, shutting the door behind her.

Not even a minute later there were gunshots.

"Naemini!" Mephisto yipped urgently. "I need you to let me in, but you need to stay out here."

"Why? I--" she tried to protest.

"Because there's something you'd prefer not to see."

She clamped her mouth shut. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Something that  _she_ would prefer not to see? Or something he didn't want her to see? Regardless, she knew better than to distrust him in these situations.

"Fine," she mumbled. She put Mephisto down and opened the door just enough for him to slip through.

"Don't let anyone in," he ordered as he slid inside.

"Whatever." She turned, closing the door and crossing her arms. No one was getting past her.

"Hey, Snow White!" She glanced up. Faux-hawk stalked toward her, a short shaved headed boy and the tall pink haired guy from before following behind him.

She gave them a once over before tilting her head. "What?"

"Move so we can get through," Faux-hawk snapped. Naemini tsked and met his glare.

"I was told not to let anyone in."

"Move aside anyways."

"Make me."

It was a childish response, but it was the only one she could think of. Faux-hawk growled and muttered something under his breath and stared her down for a few seconds. Naemini remained tensed in case he tried to come at her, but he never did. She huffed. "Mr. Okumura asked me to not let anyone in until he says so. I don't want any of us to get into trouble on our first day. Please don't start a fight or something."

"You think I'm gonna pick a fight with you?" Faux-hawk almost scoffed. "And get myself expelled? Yeah right. But something is clearly going on in there. Are you just--"

"I'm going to listen to my teacher. I trust him."

She may have lied about who told her what to do, but still. Faux-hawk seemed annoyed still but didn't press further. He and his crew turned and sat against the opposite wall. She smiled apologetically, but stood her ground.

 

About a good half hour passed before the door opened to reveal Yukio.

"Sorry about that, class!" He apologized cheerfully. "You can all come back in now!" Naemini turned around and followed him inside, only to be frozen in shock.

"Eh?! What happened in here?!?!" One of the other two girls shrieked. Naemini scooped Mephisto back up and stared around the classroom.

It was a wreck.

Parts of the ceiling had fallen in, desks were smashed under rubble, the vents were busted. Not to mention the bullet holes in the walls and some rather nasty smelling demon blood on the floor. She looked to Yukio and Rin for some sort of explanation, only to see them smiling happily.

"Forget the room, what's up with them...?" Naemini mumbled half to herself.

***

Naemini slowly made her way toward the dorm.

"Are you kidding me? This place looks like a dump..." she muttered.

"Would you rather share a room with some random stranger in the normal dorms?" Mephisto pressed. Naemini sighed.

"No..."

"Then I suggest you stop whining and get to your room!"

With a puff of smoke, he transformed into his normal form, still being held in Naemini's arms. Reflexively she let go and jumped backwards in disgust. "You're such a weirdo, Mephisto!" Mephisto only grinned.

"You better get to know your dorm-mates," he laughed before disappearing in another puff of smoke. "Tata!"

Naemini froze. "DORM-MATES?!" What the actual hell? She was supposed to have her own dorm! There was no way she could live with people who... _Ugh. Never mind._ She grumbled to herself and made her way inside and up the stairs.

"Am I in prison!?"

_Aw shit, I know that voice._

"Yup! And if you think about it, It's a small price to pay to become an exorcist!"

She turned the corner and saw an open door. She knew Yukio and Rin were inside...  _So they're my dorm-mates..._ She ran softly to the room and peeked her head in. The guys both had their backs turned to her. A grin spread across her face. "Hi, guys!"

"GAH!!" Rin yelled and fell forward. Yukio whipped around to stare at her wide-eyed. Rin rolled over and sat up, jabbing a finger in her direction. "What the hell are you doing here!?"

Naemini stepped into view and gave a closed eye smile.

"I'm gonna be rooming across the hall from you!"

 


	5. Chapter 2

Naemini ate her food slowly, painfully aware of Rin staring her down. He'd sat across from her at the breakfast table in their dorm, still in his pajamas. After swallowing the rest of her omelet she met his gaze with a scowl.

"If you wanna ask something, Okumura, then ask," she sighed. Rin jumped, realizing that he had been caught.

"I, uh--" he stuttered. "I don't know what you mean?"

Naemini snorted. "Oh please," she scoffed, stabbing her fork in his direction. "You've been leering at me almost all breakfast. What's on your mind?" Rin looked back down at his food for a moment, as if he were trying to figure out how to word his question. Taking a deep breath, a determined look came across his face as he looked up.

"Well... How come you're also in this dorm?" He inquired. "And why is Mephisto all buddy-buddy with you too?"

"For special reasons that are none of your business," she replied cheekily. Rin looked taken aback for a moment and she grinned. He was a nosey guy.

"It is my business" He exclaimed, causing Yukio who had just sat down to jump. "You're practically living with me!"

"Rin, please...," Yukio tried to get his brother to relax to no avail.

"I share a dorm with you," Naemini emphasized, "not a room." Rin stood abruptly from the table and towered over her. Naemini shrunk back and stared wide-eyed at him.

"Why do you do that?!" He snapped. "Do you like pissing people off?!"

"Do you like starting arguments with everyone who disagrees with you?" She retorted. Rin growled and brought his hand up, then slammed it on the table, causing her to flinch and bring her hands up in front of her face. Rin saw her reaction and gave her a confused look.

"Rin!" Yukio chided. "C'mon, you're scaring her! Knock it off!" Naemini didn't wait around for him to be scolded more. She stood and walked out the door without a word.

She was gonna be late for class anyways.

***

Naemini sat up front again, staring at nothing in particular. Bon walked in and gave her a dirty look. She didn't notice him until he shoved past her as he walked by. She shot a glare at him but didn't say anything. It wasn't a good time.

She didn't know why she was so upset... Well. She did, she just didn't understand how it managed to set her off.

Normally, she couldn't care less whether or not people liked her, or if they disagreed with her. It had never really mattered. She wasn't used to having to deal with the same people every day. Before, it was just Mephisto. Everyone else in her life were strangers that she would see once before she went home and never saw them again. The fact she couldn't tell Rin or anyone else who she was, what she was, or why she was at True Cross bothered her.

She felt like a dog being restrained by a short leash and a tight collar.

"E-excuse me..."

A soft voice broke into Naemini's thoughts and she looked to see who it belonged to. A girl with short but thick blonde hair and blue eyes stood in front of her. She wore a light pink kimono with floral patterns on it that covered everything but her neck and head. It was strange and kinda outdated... But she looked cute in it.

"What's up?" Naemini eventually replied.

"Uhm, I-I was wondering if you knew where Rin Okumura sits?" She managed to squeak. "I-if not, that's fine! I just, um..."

Naemini raised an eyebrow. Why was this chick so high strung? Especially over Okumura. Naemini smiled pointed to the opposite side of the three-person desk. "You can sit there. Rin sits in the middle."

"Oh! Th-thank you, Ms...."

"Call me Naemini."

"Alright! M-my name is Shiemi! It's nice to meet you."

The girl blushed even more in nervous embarrassment. She sat down, back straight in perfect posture and stared ahead at the board. Naemini sighed. This girl needed to loosen up.

A few minutes passed and eventually, the brothers entered the room. Rin looked to her immediately with a frown on his face. However, Naemini completely ignored him. Until he was going to apologize she wasn't about to give him the time of day. She heard him sigh and make his way around her to sit down and began talking up a storm with Shiemi.

It seemed like forever before her classes finally ended. The moment their last period teacher dismissed them Naemini was out of her seat and out the door. She just wanted to go to her room and relax...

"Hey!"

She felt a strong hand grip her wrist and pull her back as she entered the private dorm. With a growl, she turned and shoved Rin away from her and tears began to form in her eyes. She was so frustrated, she just didn't know what else to do...

"WHAT?!" She snapped, her voice breaking. "What do you want from me, Rin?!"

Rin released her hand and stepped back. His eyes widened slightly in shock as he stared at her. "Naemini... You..." He tried to speak but seemed too surprised.

"I what?" She spat. "I'm crying? Yeah, I know. I always cry when I'm overly upset." She began rubbing the tears away as she sniffed. Damn hormones. Being so emotional in front of people, how pathetic she was.

"No- no!" Rin stammered and shook his head before pointing up to her head. "Naemini, you have... You have horns."

Naemini eyes snapped open and her hand immediately reached up to touch. Sure enough, she could feel the smooth yet bumpy horns protruding from her head.

Shit.

"So?" She choked. She backed up a bit and glared at him. "I'd bet you have a pair too, demon boy."

Rin looked even more shocked. "Who you callin' a demon, demon!" He retorted, obviously caught off guard.

"It's not hard to tell," she sniffed. "Your pointed ears and sharp teeth are vague signs, but I can just feel it. Besides, I'm  _ **not**_  a demon!"

"Whattya mean you're not a demon? How do you explain those horns then, huh? You a goat or somethin'?!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' A GOAT?!"

"You two just can't go more than a few hours without arguing can you..."

Both Rin and Naemini turned to the doorway. Yukio stood, obviously disappointed to find them fighting again. He sighed and shut the door behind him. "She's telling the truth, Rin," he said. Naemini stuck her tongue out at Rin. "Also, there's no use trying to hide the fact that you're a demon from her. She can sense it regardless of what you tell her."

"Yeah? Why's that?" Rin muttered skeptically. Yukio glanced to Naemini.

"You should tell him," he murmured. "You know more about it. Plus he would have found out eventually." Naemini glared angrily at Yukio, then at Rin who stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

"I'm an Angel."

Rin's eyes seemed to pop out of his head. Then he scoffed and narrowed his eyes.

"If you're an angel then shouldn't you have wings or a halo or somethin'?" He said.

Naemini held her arm and shifted uncomfortably. "I can't use my wings..." She answered quietly. "And as for my halo... This  _was_  my halo." She pointed to her broken horns.

"What?" Rin said dumbfounded. "Aren't halos supposed to be little circles of light that float above your head?"

"Not quite..." She replied. "Angels' halos are actually horns that connect to make a ring or hoop over our heads. That's why Lucifer-- or Satan, has two horns. Since he was sent to hell, his halo broke and became two shorter horns." 

Rin's mouth made a small 'o' as he listened to her explanation. She frowned and waited for his response.

"That is SO much cooler than a ring of light!" He cheered excitedly, sparkles in his eyes. Naemini deadpanned. After a bit of imagining halos and such, Rin seemed to realize something. "Say, your halo's broken too Naemini... Does that mean you were sent to Hell also?"

Naemini stared at him, wide-eyed and offended. "Absolutely not!" she gasped. "I did however fall."

"Fall?" Yukio chimed in this time.

"Yes, I fell," she stated. "As a punishment, I was stripped of my wings and fell from Heaven."

"What did you do that caused you to fall?" Rin looked like a child listening to a good bedtime story. "And did you actually... Like, fall? Physically crash into Earth?"

"Yeah, I physically crashed, in the appearance of a meteor," she affirmed. "As for what I did... I'm not able to remember. Nor can I remember anything about Heaven."

Yukio and Rin stared at her in wonder, causing her to squirm a bit. That was only a fraction of her story and yet they were already dumbstruck. Suddenly Rin started giggling.

"That means I can finally use this, and it'll be literal!" He chuckled. He strode forward and put an arm around her. "So, babe, did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?"

Naemini didn't hesitate in decking him so hard he fell on his back.

 


	6. Chapter 3

Naemini loped down the halls of the dorm. It was a couple hours after she had explained herself to Yukio and Rin, and she had just needed some time to herself. She felt a bit overwhelmed. She had just told most of her life's story to two boys she just met and pretty much has to trust. She sighed and took her gaze off her feet.

Looking around she realized she was in the kitchen. Huh... The dorm was so boring. And old. Boring and old. She huffed and sat at one of the tables, folding her arms on it and resting her chin on them.

"Hey."

Naemini rolled her head to the side to see who was there. Rin stood at the end of the table, looking down at her a bit questioningly. She patted the spot next to her and Rin moved to sit beside her. "What'cha want, Rin?"

"I wanted to say sorry for freaking you out this morning..." he murmured. "And for yelling at you."

Naemini gave him a pointed look. "And?"

"And for calling you a goat."

"Thank you," she giggled. Sitting up, she turned and put one leg over the bench, straddling it and facing Rin. "I'm also sorry. For purposefully egging you on... I don't know why I do that, honestly." Naemini chuckled nervously. She had to be nice. Otherwise, she would end up friendless...

"It's cool," Rin said, grinning. "So what are you doing in here anyways? Dinner time isn't till 5."

Naemini shrugged. "I just kinda ended up here... I wasn't really paying attention."

"There you two are."

Naemini looked over to the doorway and Rin turned. Yukio stood, examining them.

"Did you guys get everything straightened out?" he pressed.

"Yeah, I think we did," Naemini replied, giving him and Rin each a genuine smile. "It was my fault anyway... I purposefully get under people's skin. It's a bad habit."

Yukio looked visibly relieved. "Well then I'm glad," he chuckled. Naemini chuckled as well. Rin blushed in embarrassment and stood, helping her up.

"Now, if you'll excuse us," Yukio began, grabbing Rin's shirt collar. "Rin has some studying and homework to do."

"H-hey! Let go of me, Yukio!" Rin protested as he was being drug out of the café. Naemini couldn't help but giggle.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. The boys seemed pretty nice. They weren't pushy either, or at least Yukio wasn't most of the time. Rin on the other hand... Well at least he has good intentions when he's pushy. Naemini smiled to herself as she watched the two boys leave.

Then something hit her.

"H-hey wait!!!" She jumped up and sprinted after them. "Yukio I need help memorizing the herbs for our test!"

***

Naemini glared at herself in the locker room mirrors. She didn't necessarily hate sweats, she enjoyed wearing them, to be honest. She just found it hard to get pumped or whatever, especially for gym and exercise. With a sigh, she pushed her way out the door and out into the room.

As she approached her classmates, Rin noticed her first and turned. He grinned at her. "Haha, you don't look too bad, Mini!"

Naemini gave him a look. "I hate gym...," she grumbled. "And Mini?"

Rin laughed again. "Yeah, Mini! Like the last part of your name!"

"Well, it definitely suits her," Bon scoffed. "She's short enough."

Naemini forced herself to ignore him and sighed. "Well it's better than Nae, I guess." Rin stopped and gave her a confused look. "You know, Nae. Like a horse  _neighs_? I'd rather be short than be called a horse."

"Oh I get it," Rin murmured. "Yeah, I see your point!" He giggled and scratched the back of his head. 

"Alright!" The gym instructor yelled as he let one of the giant frog-like gremlins out into the arena below. "First up is Naemini! You'll be running it alone since we have an odd amount of people!"

Naemini whipped around. "ALONE?! ARE YOU NUTS?!"

The instructor tsked her and glared at her. "Just get in the arena." Naemini grumbled to herself before sliding down the wall and into the arena below.

She glared at the giant frog-like demon. A Leaper, that's what it was called. It was kinda cute but she knew not to trust the damn things. The second you'd turn your back on them they'd pounce. Naemini walked backward so she was out of the Leaper's leaping range.

"So I see you're informed on Leapers already," the teacher commented with a smile. Naemini nodded.

"Yeah, I'm well aware of their tactics," she replied.

"Alright, well," he began, clearing his throat. "Get ready!" She turned her back to the Leaper. "Get set!" She got into her running position. "Go!"

Naemini began a light run. She didn't have to go too fast, she just had to go fast enough to stay out of its range. After a few minutes, the teacher pulled the lever to tighten the Leaper's chains. Naemini slowed to a stop and turned to look up at him.

"So how'd I do?" She asked excitedly.

"You did great!" He yelled, giving her a thumbs up. "Have you had a run in with a Leaper before now?"

"Only once," she mumbled.

The teacher studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright, Izumo and Shiemi! You two are next!"

Naemini began walking to the ladder that led back up the wall of the arena. As she climbed she frowned. If she still had her wings she could probably just fly back up. Then again, if she did that it would have seemed pretty weird to her classmates.

Rin stood at the top of the ladder waiting for her and helped her up. "You did great!" He cheered. "You're not even sweating!" Naemini smiled, kinda embarrassed. Shima sauntered over too and stuck his hands in his pockets, a big grin on his face.

"You know," he chuckled, "I like a girl who can take care of herself." The pink haired boy winked at her, obviously thinking he was being smooth. Naemini raised an eyebrow.

"That just makes you seem lazy, Shima," she said bluntly.

Shima deadpanned and Rin giggled. "Hehe! She got you, Shima!" Shima didn't say anything and just pouted as Naemini walked to sit at the edge of the arena, letting her legs dangle over the edge.

"Shiemi and Izumo! You two are next!"

The shy girl from the other day and the purple haired girl made their way into the arena. Naemini frowned. Shiemi was wearing a long kimono and traditional Japanese sandals. There was no way that she was gonna be able to outrun the Leaper.

Naemini stood abruptly and startled Rin who had just come up behind her.

"Whoah!" He exclaimed, leaning backward so she didn't run into him as she stood. "What's got you all worked up?"

She gave Rin a concerned glance before looking back to Shiemi. "There's no way she'll outrun the Leaper in those clothes," she said. Naemini began pacing a bit. She didn't even have time to stop the teacher.

The Leaper began its chase. Izumo easily outpaced it but Shiemi was struggling. Almost immediately, the blonde girl tripped.

"Shiemi!!!" Naemini shrieked. Without thinking she tried to run to slide down into the arena but Rin grabbed her shoulder.

"Woahhh!!!" The teacher exclaimed pulling the lever. The Leaper fell short and came to a stop, just a foot away from Shiemi. Naemini let out the breath she'd been holding and snapped her gaze to Rin.

"I stopped you because if you'd jumped you'd of broken something," he explained before she could even ask.

"I wasn't going to jump," she muttered. Rin rolled his eyes and took his hand off her shoulder. She looked back to see Izumo come up the ladder, Shiemi following. Naemini watched as she made her way away from the group.

_Poor girl..._

"Okumura! Sugaro! You're next!"

Bon grumbled something about Rin and her before sliding down into the arena. Rin stiffened and blushed in embarassment. "I'm n-not flirting!" He snapped as he followed Bon into the arena. "You say that about Shiemi and I too. What do you think I am, a player?" Naemini smirked. He was so silly when he was embarrassed or flustered.

"Nah it's just those two," he scoffed. "You know, if you focused on your studies rather than flirting, you'd probably do better!"

The two boys glared each other down. The tension spread through the air like electricity, almost tangible. Naemini smirked and tilted her head to the side. "Aw Bon," she called. Both boys looked up at her. Bon quit glaring and simply frowned at her.

"Yeah what?" He growled.

"Could it be that you're jealous?" She stuck out her lower lip in a mock-pouty way. "Want Rin to flirt with you instead???"

Bon immediately turned beet red and Rin burst with laughter. "No!!! Shut up!" He snapped. She grinned and waved it off.

"I was just teasing ya', Bonnie," she drawled.

"DON'T CALL ME BONNIE!"

If looks could kill, Naemini would have been severely wounded by Bon's glares. The teacher broke in and told them to get ready to start running. The two glared each other down and took off like bullets when the Leaper was released.

Everyone watching shook their heads in disappointment. They were racing, not keeping out of the Leaper's pace. They were missing the point of the whole activity...

Suddenly, Bon caught everyone off guard. He leaped and landed a kick to Rin, square between his shoulders, sending him flying to the ground ahead of them. Bon grinned down at the dazed Rin, boasting something about the last man standing in the end being the one who wins, meanwhile the Leaper was hastily approaching him.

"BON!!!" She shrieked, jumping to her feet yet again. This time, however, Rin wasn't there to hold her back. She pushed off the edge of the arena and sailed through the air as the Leaper leapt for Sugaro.

She collided with him just as he turned in shock, staring wide-eyed at the huge frog-like monster coming at him. He fell backward, grunting as Naemini hit him and reflexively caught her.

They hit the ground and slid away, out of the monster's reach. Luckily, the teacher pulled the lever just in time once again, constricting the Leaper. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" he shouted. "Are you trying to get yourselves killed!? This is not a race!"

Naemini sat up and rubbed her shoulder where she had landed on it. She looked down at Sugaro. "You okay, Bon?"

He blinked up at her and blushed. "Yeah, I- I'm alright," he stuttered. "I'm still shocked is all... Could you get off me?"

Naemini quickly rolled off of him and stood up and he followed suit. Rin ran over to them. "Are you guys okay?!" He yelled, worry obvious in his blue eyes.

"Yeah, we're fine," Bon muttered, dusting himself off. Rin growled and glared back at Bon.

"What was that all about? You could've gotten both of us killed!" He snapped.

"Ugh," Bon muttered. "I'd rather die than lose to a scumbag like you!"

"You wanna die?!" Rin yelled, turning to face Bon now. "How about now?!"

"ALRIGHT LETS DO THIS! C'MON!"

Naemini squeaked and sidestepped out of the way as Rin tackled Bon to the ground. "Alright, that's enough!!!" The teacher shouted. "You're disrupting class!" Naemini helped him to restrain Rin as Shima and Konekomaru grabbed Bon. Eventually, the two calmed down and the teacher pulled Bon aside to speak privately. She sighed and glared at Rin.

"You're just as bad as I am when it comes to arguing with Bon!" she huffed. Rin glanced away guiltily. "Honestly... Next time you tell me to lay off I'm gonna pull the hypocrite card on you."

Shima laughed a bit. "Sorry about Bon," he chuckled. "He's really a good guy but the thing is he's just so serious! He wants to be an exorcist because he says he wants to defeat Satan!"

"Uh!"

Naemini glanced at Rin. He looked like he was disgusted and shocked all at the same time. What was with him? Weirdo... She turned her gaze back to Shima. "Defeat Satan huh...?"

Shima laughed again. "Haha yeah, it's kinda funny isn't it?"

"Huh?" Rin spoke, snapping out of his daze. "What's so funny about it?"

"Ehehe... huh?" Shima seemed to realize he was the only one who shared his humor.

"It isn't funny, Rin," Naemini stated. "I agree."

"Exactly," Konekomaru interjected. "The whole reason about Bon, and why he's so intense, is because he wants to restore our temple. It was all but ruined after the Blue Night."

"The Blue Night?" Rin and Naemini asked in unison.

Konekomaru gave them both an amazed look. "Huhhh? You don't know?" Shima gasped. "Man, you guys are like the only ones who don't!"

Konekomaru then went into an explanation about how 16 years ago, Satan entered the human world and massacred a bunch of priests and clergymen. Rin and Naemini listened intently, both horrified at the gruesome story. Naemini looked down at the floor.

She couldn't believe this had happened and that none of the angels, that God himself, hadn't done anything to stop it. Her nails dug into the soft skin of her small hands as she clenched them. Was she like that when she had been a part of Heaven? What made her the kind of person who would just let that happen? 

"That's... awful...," she mumbled, half to herself. Rin nodded in agreement and Shima gave a sympathetic smile. 

"It's okay," he assured. "It's not like it was your fault."

_How do you know, though?_

Naemini gave a fake smile. "Bon's just got a full plate, that's why he's so intense," Shima continued. "But he's a good guy, once you get to know him."

"The boy from the cursed temple, huh..." Rin murmured, looking back at Bon. 

***

Shima and Konekomaru were panting slightly as they climbed back up the ladder from their run when suddenly someone's phone started going off. Naemini glanced around, unable to locate the source in the large, echoey gym.

"Who's freakin' phone is going off?" Sugaro growled. 

"Hello? Tsubaki here!" The teacher asked as he held his phone to his ear.

"DAH!" Sugaro collapsed to the ground.

"I'm teaching class right now, honey....... What, right now!? You're unsatiable~ I'm on my way, my little kitty-cat!"

Naemini shuddered. Gross.

"Ookay, class! We're taking a break for a bit!" the teacher exclaimed, getting a confused "huhhh?" from the class. He gave a quick warning about Leapers and then explained that they were prohibited from entering the arena until he returned. "We clear? Good! Then I'm outta here!" He turned and sprinted out of the gymnasium. "I'm on my way kitty-cat~!!!"

"Ugh, vomit," Naemini muttered. Rin huffed and shook his head.

"Did ya hear that?" Shima laughed. "Teacher just called someone a kitty-cat..."

"Takin' a break for a booty call," Izumo sighed. Naemini couldn't help but chuckle at her comment.

"True Cross Academy is supposed to be this amazing place, where only the highly motivated gather! But even the students suck here...," Sugaro grumbled, sending a glare back at Rin.

"Seriously, Bon?" Naemini chirped, raising an eyebrow at him. Rin frowned. 

"Would you just drop the attitude?" Rin growled. "I've got my reasons being here too, so how do you know I'm not motivated?"

"I can tell by the way that you act in class!" 

Naemini quietly moved to stand beside Shima. She didn't wanna take sides now. "Oh brother, here they go again...," he mumbled. "C'mon, Bon, you're being immature..."

"Just leave him alone," Naemini agreed.

"Shut up! Both of you!" Bon snapped. Naemini's eyes widened. "I know what I'm doin'." He turned back to Rin. "You say you're motivated? Okay, fine~ Then prove it!" 

"Oh yeah?" Rin said skeptically, looking bored. "And how am I gonna prove it?"

Naemini tuned out now. She just stared at the two boys. They really were incredibly similar... Just... They were so alike they repelled each other... Like magnets. She was about to cut in when suddenly she saw Bon slide down into the arena.

"Wh- Bon!" She called after him. "Are you nuts?!"

"Shut up!" He snapped again. "I'm gonna be a real Exorcist someday! And I'm gonna defeat Satan!"

The gym fell quiet only to be broken by laughter. "Ahahahaha! Did you hear that? He said he's gonna defeat Satan! Yeah right!" 

Naemini's eyes landed on Izumo who was laughing at Bon's statement. What the hell kinda person was she? Laughing at someone's dream...

Suddenly there was a roar from the arena and all eyes were back on Bon. He stood paralyzed with fear as a Leaper lunged for him.

"Bon!!!" Shima yelled.

Suddenly, a blur of black, white and yellow flew by them and into the arena. It was Rin, leaping to Sugaro's rescue. Naemini felt as though her blood ran cold as the jaws of the Leaper closed around his torso. 

"Rin!" She wailed, running to the edge of the arena.

"Let go," Rin growled. The Leaper's eyes widened and Rin repeated himself. "I said LET GO!" Immediately the Leaper released him and backed away. Naemini took the chance to slide down into the arena once again and ran towards them. "Listen up, here's the deal. I'm gonna be the one to defeat Satan, so stay outta my way!"

"Huhh?" Naemini and Bon said in unison.

"What the hell?" Bon choked before standing up. "You're insane! Man you could have gotten killed! And don't copy my ambition!"

"Huhhhh?" Rin gasped. "I didn't copy you, it was mine first!"

Naemini sighed. These idiots... At least they were okay. She took the time to study Rin, and shockingly, there wasn't a scratch on him. She huffed and stepped in between the two. 

"C'mon you guys, knock it off already!" she snapped, shoving them both back away from each other. "You're both acting ridiculous! It's an ambition, you can both just share it! Maybe even work together to achieve it!"

"What?! Work with him?!?!" Rin exclaimed.

"Not a chance!" Bon growled.

"Well what if...," Naemini smirked. "We all three work together?"

 

"What you wanna defeat Satan too?"

Naemini shrugged. "Why not? Who doesn't want him gone?" Bon and Rin both seemed annoyed but didn't respond. "My point is, instead of fighting over who gets to kick his ass, why don't you  _both_ kick his ass? Surely it'd make things at least a little easier."  _As if defeating Satan is going to be at all easy._

The two boys glared at each other. "Yeah right," Bon growled, stalking past her to the ladder. Rin glared after him but didn't say anything. Naemini sighed and nudged him so they could get out of the arena before the teacher returned.


	7. Chapter 4

Naemini gazed nervously at the chalk, biting her index-finger nail as Profesor Neuhaus drew a summoning circle on the ground in front of them. She shifted her weight and caught Rin's attention. He leaned in and nudged her, causing her to glance at him from the corner of her eye. "Mhm," she grunted.

"You okay with this?" He murmured. "Summoning a demon?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she mumbled in response. Truthfully though, every fiber in her being was screaming at her to turn and hightail it out of the room.

"Alright," Neuhaus spoke up, interrupting their conversation. "We will now summon a demon." Rin leaned away from Naemini and studied the circle curiously. He then took a step forward, only to be startled back into place by Neuhaus' voice. "Watch your step! If the magic circle is broken it will lose its effect." He raised his hand and began to unbandage it. "Now, to summon a demon you'll need a drop of your blood, and a suitable invocation."

He put out his hand and let a few drops of blood drip to the ground, within the confines of the magic circle then began to chant. "Son of Tiphius and Echidna... Hear my call and show yourself!"

Suddenly an ugly brown and black blob began to form in the center of the circle and rise. As it began to take form, Naemini could feel shivers run down her spine.  _Relax... This time the demon isn't your enemy..._ The blob turned into a grotesque and deformed, zombie-like doberman. "A Niberius...," Naemini hissed under her breath.

"I've never seen one!"

"Eugh, Sulfur!"

"Summoning a demon to use as a familiar is a rare trait," Neuhaus began. "Not everyone is capable. Now to tame a demon, you must have a strong will and unshakable nerve. Having a natural talent for it is also valuable. Today I'm going to test you to see if anyone here has this talent!"

"A test..?" Rin mumbled worriedly. Naemini half smiled. This was actually looking... fun.

"At the beginning of class I handed out these slips of paper with a copy of the magic circle," Neuhaus continued. "Place a drop of blood on it and chant whatever words may come to mind..."

Immediately Izumo took out two slips of paper and pricked her finger. "I humbly appeal to thee, o goddess Inari. Grant my request, leave not my prayers to be unfulfilled!" she spoke loudly. Two white foxes appeared and stood beside her as the class stared in awe. Even Naemini was amazed.

"A pair of white foxes...," Neuhaus murmured. "Nicely done Ms. Kamiki!"

"Izumo that's amazing!" Paku gasped. "I tried but didn't get anything..."

Izumo flipped her hair and grinned. "That figures! I come from a long line of shrine maidens."

"This isn't working, I can't do it," Bon muttered, glaring at his paper.

"Me neither," Konekomaru sighed.

Shima shrugged with a smile. Izumo gave an ignorant smirk as the others failed to summon anything. Naemini narrowed her eyes and smiled. "My turn," she spoke determinedly.

Naemini slit her thumb with her fingernail and let the blood drip onto one of her circle slips. "Ryujin, deity of the sea, I request you lend me one of your children. Rise, Henge!"

The slip of paper glowed brightly as a figure burst from its circle. A magnificent white dragon with red markings surrounded Naemini protectively with its long body. Its yellow eyes scanned the room and everyone in it before meeting her fuschia ones. Naemini tensed, staring back at it with determination. After a moment, the dragon closed its eyes and dipped its head to her.  _ **Mistress.**_ Naemini smiled as the dragon spoke to her through thought.

"HOLY SHIT!" Rin exclaimed as the rest of the class gasped, realizing what just happened.

"A dragon," Neuhaus breathed in surprise. "Well, it seems we have at least two talented potential Tamers already. Nice work, Ms. Naemini." Izumo huffed and sent her a glare before looking away. Naemini rolled her eyes and caught Shiemi staring at her with wide sparkling eyes.

"Uhm, I'd like to try!" she spoke hesitantly. Everyone directed their eyes to her now as she mumbled something quietly to the paper. A few moments went by and nothing happened. Shiemi had just sighed in defeat when suddenly a green orb emerged from the circle and popped.

A small green creature squeaked and floated gently down onto the paper. "Miii!" It squeaked.

"If I'm not mistaken that looks like a baby Green Man!" Neuhaus stated, rubbing his chin. "Excellent Ms. Moriyama. Excellent." Naemini smiled. It definitely was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen!

"Uhm, hey!" Shiemi piped up. "Ms. Kamiki! I summoned my familiar too!"

Izumo narrowed her eyes then smiled sarcastically. "A-dorable! It's like so unbelievably tiny and ridiculously cute, like a peanut," she sneered condescendingly.

"Huh... Really?" Shiemi murmured in surprise. Naemini frowned at how rude Izumo was being, but Shiemi seemed oblivious to it. "You think he's cute? Aw! Thank you!"

Naemini opened her mouth and was about to speak when Neuhaus cut her off. "Well, it looks like we have our Tamer candidates for this class. Now then! Tamers are valuable in combat. The ability to control demons is extremely rare among Exorcists," he explained. "A demon will not obey if it perceives its master to be weak. If its master lacks willpower, the demon will attack them."

Naemini gave the dragon a suspicious glance. It caught the look and seemed to smile.

"As I mentioned earlier, once you break the circle, you release the demon from your control and it vanishes," Neuhaus continued. "So, if you ever feel like you're in danger, simply tear up the paper." He moved his foot and smudged the chalk on the ground. Almost immediately, the Niberius disappeared. "That's all for today. Class dismissed."

***

A couple of hours passed and the entire class had gathered in Naemini, Rin, and Yukio's dorm for the prep boot camp. They had just finished their practice test.

"I'm gonna go get some air...," Rin muttered, standing up. "Later." Naemini stood and followed him out. "What you comin' with?"

"No I just need a relaxing hot bath," she replied. "I'll see you later, mm'kay?"

"O-oh," he stuttered, blushing. "Okay."

Naemini rolled her eyes and swiftly made her way to the bathroom. She walked down the rows of lockers until she found the one she normally used and began undressing. Suddenly she thought she heard something and froze. There was a quiet hissing noise. And something dripping.  _A demon...?_  she thought. She remained still, listening, waiting for something to happen.

Naemini looked up and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the door open. She stood, tense and frozen in place, fully expecting a demon to come at her.

"Naemini? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Paku frowned in concern as she and Izumo came into the bathroom. Naemini let out the breath she was holding and relaxed. "Oh it's just you guys...," she murmured. "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine." She flashed them a smile.

"Who else were you expecting would come in here?" Izumo snorted.

"Shima," Naemini replied without missing a beat. Izumo rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, just get out."

"Sorry?"

"You heard me. Get out," Izumo glared at her in annoyance. "I'm not comfortable taking a bath around you."

Naemini felt her eye twitch.

"Excuse you, but I live in this dorm  _and_  I was in here before you," she snorted. "If you're not comfortable taking a bath around me, then I suggest you find a different bathroom." And with that, Naemini unclasped her bra and shimmied out of her underwear.

Izumo gasped and Paku blushed in embarrassment. "So bold...," Paku murmured. Naemini scoffed at Izumo's expression as she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself. It was a combination of shock, anger, and embarrassment.

"Y'know, just because you can summon a demon like me, and go around acting like you're so tough and cool doesn't mean you are," she hissed. "I'll bet you're just as bad as Shiemi!"

Naemini scowled and turned on Izumo. "Shiemi isn't that bad! So what she's not a good fighter or runner? She's more gifted in medicines and herbs than the rest of us combined!" She paused to evaluate Izumo's expression before continuing. "We all have different things we're good at and then things we're bad at. You have no right to treat Shiemi the way you do."

Naemini was about to turn and walk away when suddenly something crashed through the ceiling and grabbed Paku. Paku and Izumo both shrieked as Naemini stared in horror, mouth open but no sound coming out.

A huge grotesque demon stood over them, dripping what looked like its own blood onto Paku, who had passed out beneath it. Disgusting marks blemished her skin where the blood fell, and Naemini grimaced. It was as if it was trying to eat away at the girl's skin.

Naemini hadn't even noticed, but Izumo had summoned her two foxes. However, they suddenly turned on her. "How dare you! Your heart is weak!"

"Wh-what?" she gasped.

"You are not worthy of our help!" they snarled as they lunged for her.

"Ryujin, deity of the sea, I request you lend me one of your children. Rise, Henge!" Naemini shouted.

However before the dragon even appeared, someone kicked away both the foxes. Izumo fell to her knees as Rin turned to her. "Tear up the paper!" he shouted. "Do it!" Izumo's eyes widened and she quickly complied. The two foxes disappeared. "Good."

"Rin!" Naemini called. "What are you doing here?!" Naemini snatched up a towel and frantically wrapped herself in it. Thankfully, Rin hadn't seemed to notice yet.

"I heard someone scream," he explained. "What else would I do? Anyways, just stay back, I got this."

Naemini scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm helping, whether you like it or not." She pointed and shouted. "Henge! See if you can find this thing's weak spot!"

_**Yes, Mistress.**_

The dragon shot forward with a vicious snarl and began trying to rip into the disgusting two-headed monster. Naemini looked back to Rin who stood, uncertain as what to do.  _Why doesn't he just draw his sword and fight the damn thing? Is he afraid of cutting my Henge? No, that couldn't be... He isn't that thoughtful..._

"Rin! Naemini!"

Both Naemini and Rin turned as Shiemi ran toward them.

"Shiemi?!" Rin gasped.

"Paku!" She cried, ignoring him. "Rin, Naemini, you take care of the ghoul and I'll get Paku! Don't just stand there!"

"Tch! That's easier said than done!"

Rin pulled his sword and sheath from his back and began hitting the ghoul, careful not to hit the Henge. The monster growled and grabbed the white dragon, throwing it away and into the lockers, causing it to disappear.

"Young Prince..." It spoke in its deep distorted voice.

"What?" Naemini gasped. She barely had time to think before the monster grabbed Rin by his face and Naemini by her throat. It threw Rin through the glass of the bath doors.

"Smells... Nice...," it spoke again, pulling Naemini closer. "Seraph."

"Let me go!" She screamed as it's grip tightened on her and brought her closer to its face. She could feel its touch burning the soft flesh of her neck like acid, and could do nothing but shriek and repeatedly kick at it.

"N-Naemini!" Rin choked as the ghoul gripped his neck, keeping him pinned to the ground.

"Forgive me...," it said. "For I only do as my master tells me to..."

Rin struggled to reach his katana, feeling around for it in the broken glass beside him. "Rin! Naemini!" Yukio's voice rang out as he shot at the ghoul.

The monster shrieked and released them both, dropping Naemini to the tile before disappearing through a gap in the ceiling.

Naemini yelped as she landed in the glass shards. Not only did the glass cut into her skin, but the monster had left a blemish on her neck, and it was spreading. It was a temptaint, burning and eating away at her skin.

"Naemini!" Rin and Yukio both shouted as the girl gasped for air.

"Shiemi!" Yukio called.

"Yes!" Shiemi hurried from where she'd finished treating Paku and began applying aloe to Naemini's neck. She then sat Naemini up and undid her towel so her sides and back, where she'd landed in the glass, were showing to pull the glass shards out. She paused for a moment, then dabbed a water soaked cloth at the cuts and applied bits of aloe to them as well before letting Naemini wrap the towel back around herself.

"Thank you Shiemi," she breathed.

"Y-you're welcome!" The blonde girl stuttered, blushing in embarrassment.

"It's a good thing you were here, Shiemi," Yukio praised. "Who knows what would have happened if you weren't."

Naemini smiled as the girl beamed at Yukio's praise. It was so obvious she admired him so damn much. It was... Disgustingly cute in a way.

"Naemini... You alright?"

Naemini tensed at the sound of Rin's voice. Hurriedly and clumsily, she stood and moved away from him, avoiding meeting his eyes.

"I-I'm fine," she answered hastily, wrapping her towel tightly once more. "I'm going to my room now."

Without waiting for a reply she pushed past the guys who'd also crowded into the bathroom, grabbed her clothes, and left. The moment the door shut behind her she ran all the way back to her room.

Once in her room, she put on her pajamas and fell into bed. She stared intently at the wall.

There was no way she'd heard the monster call Rin a "Young Prince"... was there?

 


	8. Chapter 5

Naemini woke to a knock on her door. She didn't bother rolling over, guessing who it was and didn't bother to answer. After a moment the door creaked open as they walked in.

"Naemini..?" Rin's voice murmured. Naemini didn't answer and continued to stare at the wall. "I brought the clothes you left in the bathroom last night." Still no answer. "Mini, I know you're not asleep."

"Just get out," she mumbled.

"Why are you like this all of a sudden?" He said, ignoring her demand. "What happened? What's your problem?"

"I said just get out!!!" She snapped, sitting up and glaring at him. Rin immediately froze and opened his mouth slightly in shock. She sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. "Just leave me alone for a while... Please."

"I...," Rin whispered. He clenched his jaw and turned away, heading for the door. "I'm sorry." Naemini watched him leave.

After a few moments she grabbed her pillow an threw it across the room with an angry shout. She huffed and let herself fall back onto the bed again. She hated it. She knew what she heard. Was it true though? There were only a few ways to find out.

She pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed-dial. The phone only rang once before it was answered. "Naemini? My, what could be the reason for you calling so early in the morning?" Mephisto's voice came through the speaker. "To be completely honest, I'm surprised to be getting a call from you at all!"

"It's about Rin," she said. "Well... Actually, it's about both of the boys."

There was a puff of smoke and Naemini sat up, startled. Mephisto stared at her with wide eyes, his phone still in hand. "Is my dear angel having boy problems!?" he exclaimed. Naemini squinted at him and threw her remaining pillow in his direction. He caught it with ease and set it on her desk. "Only joking~! What were your concerns about?"

Mephisto manifested a chair and sat in it, resting his head on his hand. Naemini stood and locked her door before she sat back down on the edge of her bed. "You heard about what happened last night, right?" she asked. Mephisto nodded. "Well. The demon that attacked us... it called Rin "Young Prince"."

Mephisto smirked but she could tell he was somewhat annoyed. "Well, it seems that cat is out of the bag a bit sooner than I had thought," he said. "What you heard is true. Rin is the son of Satan."

"Yukio too?"

"That's right~"

She groaned and put her hands on her face. Now that she thought about it, Mephisto was a Demon Prince too-- a Demon King actually. However, he was a liberal. He was still semi-loyal to his father... But not much. Sometimes she wondered how he hadn't been struck down by his father yet, after all the times he's acted against him. But still, she would trust him with her life... At times.

"You said I can trust him?" she asked. 

Mephisto raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I did. I assure you he's mostly harmless and would never intentionally hurt anyone. He's too stupid to be evil in all honesty." Naemini bit her lip. Mephisto chuckled and stood, his chair disappearing. "If that's all you were worried about, I do have other important business to attend to!" The Demon King raised his hand, about to vanish. Naemini stood and grabbed his sleeve and he gave her a curious look. "Yes?"

"Thank you. For coming here when I called."

Amusement spread through the man's eyes. "My pleasure, dear. Now, Ciao~!"

Mephisto disappeared in a puff of smoke and Naemini sighed. After about twenty minutes, she finally decided to head downstairs to brush her teeth. As for whether or not she would trust Rin still... She wasn't too sure.

***

"Most demons can be destroyed by reciting what are known as fatal verses! These passages contain certain words or phrases that will cause their death~! In battle, Arias can identify and recite the correct fatal verses against demons!"

Naemini stared at the teacher with a bored expression. She really disliked this class and especially disliked the teacher. She was stuck up, obnoxious, ditzy, and overly posh. Releasing a heavy sigh, she rested her chin and arms on the desk.

"And now what brave soul may I call on to recite the passage I assigned for homework?" she chirped. "Ms. Kamiki? ... Ms. Kamiki??? Is something the matter?"

Naemini let her gaze slide over to Izumo who seemed to have just snapped out of a daze. "I-I'm sorry! Uhm..." Naemini frowned. Something was wrong. Izumo must still be thinking about last night...

"Right! Day by day, we magnify thee, and we worship thy name! Thy name and ever were..." Izumo began flawlessly but then seemed to struggle remembering what came next. Naemini silently willed the girl to remember the simple 4 sentences, but it seemed not even the angel had the ability to do something as "simple" as that...

"What's wrong dear?" the teacher trilled.

"I... Don't remember..."

Even Rin and Shiemi looked back in surprise at Izumo's words. "Oohh my!!!" the teacher cried, overdramatically. "Ms. Kamiki! This isn't like you at all! Mmm, let's see... How about you, Mr. Sugaro?"

"Yes ma'am," Bon replied, standing up. Naemini watched silently as he closed his eyes. He then began reciting the passage, smoothly and flawlessly. Naemini was actually in awe for once. You'd think that because she was an ex-angel and all, that memorizing the Bible would be a sinch for Naemini, when in fact, it was just the opposite. She couldn't even remember what Heaven was like or why she fell, much less remember 1189 chapters of both the New and Old Testaments word for word. Almost the entire class stared in amazement as he finished and the teacher sang his praise.

"Wow...," Naemini breathed.

"Amazing! That was incredible!" Shiemi squeaked next to her.

"Heh heh...," Bon actually blushed a bit. "Easy now. Don't start fallin' for me."

"I can't believe it! You really are smart, man!" Rin exclaimed. Naemini fought to withhold her laughter as Bon deadpanned and snapped at Rin.

"Whatever, memorizing is something that anyone can do," came Izumo's bored voice from across the room.

"You wanna repeat what you said?!" Bon called back as a smirk played on his lips. "Hmph. Big talk comin' from someone who can't memorize four sentences~"

"Oh yeah?! It's not that I couldn't remember them! I chose not to!"

Even Naemini thought that was a weak comeback.

"Arias are completely defenseless when they're reciting! Their party has to protect them," she stabbed. "They're nothing but a burden."

"What the hell?!" Bon growled, standing up. Immediately, Naemini began feeling uncomfortable and began fidgeting in her chair. The tension in the air was thick and making her anxious. The two argued back and forth, with her stuck in between them. At some point, Bon slammed his hand down on their desk and she tensed up. She didn't realize it, but Rin had noticed Naemini becoming nervous.

Suddenly, Bon reached forward and grabbed a hold of Izumo's sweater vest. Rin stood just as Izumo went to slap Bon, and instead, slapped Rin's shoulder. "Ow!" he hissed. "If you're gonna fight, go outside!!!" Naemini looked up guiltily at him. She'd treated him so crappily this morning and yet...

"Settle down!"

All eyes turned to Yukio as he entered the room, and he was not happy... "Enough with the fighting already." The class fell silent once more and Rin sat down heavily beside her. She glanced at him, but couldn't find the courage to speak up.

***

Soon they were all back at the dorm... with Baryons on their laps.

"What the hell's up with this damn Blickling rock?" Rin grunted. "It's getting heavier by the second!"

"They're called Baryons," Naemini whimpered. "They're a lower level demon that get heavier the longer they sit on you...!" She could barely feel her legs anymore. _Don't give in, Naemini, Don't you do it!_

"Well I have a mission I need to go on," Yukio said with a sigh. "I'll be locking the dorm doors and leaving a demon warding charm just in case. I'll be gone only about 3 hours so just sit tight and get along until then!" He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

" _Only_ 3 hours...?!" Naemini gasped.

"Man he's cruel," Bon groaned. "I find it hard to believe that you and the teacher are related!"

"But he's a good guy...," Rin whimpered. "I know he is."

"Well, it's thanks to a certain you know who that we're stuck here!" Bon snapped, his jab directed at Izumo.

"Wha?!" She gasped. "I didn't go and grab you by the shirt did I?"

"Grrr... WOULD YOU TWO STOP FIGHTING WITH ME AND NAEMINI IN THE MIDDLE AGAIN?!" Rin snapped. Naemini sent him an appreciative smile this time.

Demon Prince or not, Rin's personality wouldn't change. That's what mattered.

Then suddenly the lights went out.

"Ahh!" Shiemi cried.

"No way!" Konekomaru gasped. "A black out???"

"No, I can see lights on in the other dorms," Shima replied.

Everyone rolled the rocks off their laps and stood.

"GAH!" Rin yelped. "I dropped the damn rock on my foot!"

"I'm gonna go and switch the power back on," Shima laughed. "I love stuff like this~" He felt his way along the wall until he reached the door. However, he closed the door immediately after he opened it. "Haha... Either I'm seeing things or we have a demon out--"

With a loud crash, a ghoul very similar to the one from the bathroom smashed through the door, sending a shrieking Shima scrambling back to the group.

"N-no way!" Naemini gasped.

"What about the demon warding charm?!" Konekomaru wailed.

"Nii!!"

Out of nowhere, huge clusters of roots burst forth and blocked the Ghoul's path and struck it in half.

"Way to go Moryama!" Bon praised. Naemini turned to see Shiemi holding her familiar, Nii, who had grown the root for them. The excitement, however, was short-lived. The ghoul split into two, a second head suddenly bursting from the disgusting stitched up sac on the other half of the body. Almost instantaneously, it grew back limbs. It roared and began slashing at the root, trying to hack its way through to them.

"For a dead thing it sure is lively ain't it...," Rin muttered darkly. He ran forward and began to climb into the gaps in the roots.

"What are you doing?!" Bon shouted.

"If I can lead this thing away then you guys can get out of here right?" He explained.

"Are you crazy? You'll get yourself killed!" Bon exclaimed in disbelief.

"Don't worry about me," Rin laughed. "I've got this." He turned and began making his way through the roots.

 _He doesn't care if some of us are awful to him..._ Naemini thought, a shocked look on her face. _He's still willing to sacrifice himself for us..._ She clenched her jaw and ran forward, climbing into the roots, ignoring Bon's protests. "Rin!" She hissed, grabbing onto the back of his shirt in an effort to slow him down for a moment. He jumped slightly and turned in surprise.

"Naemini? What the hell are you doing?" Rin whispered loudly. "I've got this!" Naemini growled and clambered over another root, now right next to Rin.

"You want to lure it out right?" She whispered back. "Remember what that ghoul said in the bathroom?" Rin stared at her for a moment, trying to think. "It said "Smells nice" remember? It knows what I am and I'll bet anything it would just love to get a hold of me."

Rin realized what she was implying and immediately shook his head. "No, absolutely not! I told you I've got--"

Naemini put her hands on both sides of his face and looked directly into his eyes.

\--------POV Switch--------

Rin froze as soon as her surprisingly cool hands grasped his face. She was suddenly just inches away from his face, her fuchsia eyes glaring determinedly into his brilliant blue ones. He'd never really paid attention to it before but... Her intense eyes were... really pretty.

When he finally inhaled he caught her scent. Now he understood why the ghoul said what it did. She smelled ridiculously good, but he couldn't put a specific name to the scent. It was sweet and soothing... Pure. Heavenly.

"See?"

Rin blinked and refocused on her. "Uh..."

Naemini rolled her eyes, something she seemed to do often when she was around him. "Even you're distracted by my smell or whatever right? You're only half demon, imagine what it'll do to a full on demon, or ghoul in this case. Besides, Exorcists always fight in at least pairs of two!"

"But what if it gets you?"

"Then it's a damn shame that you'll have to save me, huh."

Without another word and a smile on her face, she squeezed her way past him and out into the open. Rin sighed and followed her. "Hey, leather-face!" The ghoul turned as soon as she spoke. "Come get some!" She waved her hand at the ghoul, beckoning to it.

"Smells nice..." It growled in its raspy voice. "Seraph... but... Master wants..." Then it's red eyes found Rin. "Master wants Young Prince... Forgive me..."

"Now what?!" Rin exclaimed.

"Run obviously!!!"

He felt her small hand grasp his much larger hand as she bolted for the door. Without hesitation, he followed her. "Head for the Facility Room! If we can turn the lights back on we can weaken this thing!" He shouted.

"Where's that?!" She squeaked.

Rin picked up his pace so he was leading her now. "This way!"

They ran, not slowing down until they found the facility room. They came to a stop and Naemini looked back. "I think... We lost it. For now." She panted slightly. She seemed to realize something though and she quickly turned her gaze down, and Rin followed it. Their hands were still intertwined.

"S-sorry," he gasped and started to let go of her hand.

She gave him a curious look. "It's fine."

He turned his attention to the power grid. "All the switches are off... I'll just turn 'em back on and the Ghoul will lose its power!" He reached forward to flip the first switch when suddenly something wrapped around his head and face. "Huh?!"

"AHHH!!!" He heard Naemini scream just as he was flung backward.

He hit a railing hard before falling back down. He looked up to see the Ghoul standing where they just were... Except now Naemini was nowhere to be seen.

The Ghoul lunged for him, and Rin quickly dodged. Again it threw itself at him, and Rin jumped into the air to dodge, then it lashed out with a vine-like limb and caught him by the foot. He only had time to gasp before was smashed against the hard ground and then thrown onto the lower level of the Facility Room.

The Ghoul roared and leapt again for him. In a panic, Rin crouched and summoned his flames. "Don't mess with me!!!" He shouted. The Ghoul jumped backward and stayed on the opposite side of the room from him.

"Excellent..." Came a familiar voice. "That's what I've been wanting to see."

Rin's attention snapped up to see Professor Neuhaus standing on the upper level, Naemini beside him, both hands being held behind her back and an arm around her neck, keeping her tucked against him. Naemini struggled vainly against Neuhaus's grip. "Rin!" She shouted, thrashing and kicking at Neuhaus. Rin felt relief, only for the fact that she was facing away from him and couldn't see his flames.

Neuhaus nearly received a kick to the groin and scowled at Naemini. "Apologies, Angel," he muttered, bringing the side of his hand down on her neck. Naemini yelped before going limp, out cold in his grasp. "You were getting too rowdy."

"Let her go, dammit!" Rin snarled, his flames growing.

"Those brilliant blue flames you keep hidden..." Neuhaus continued. "Since you won't use your powers in front of the others, I decided to lure you away, Rin Okumura, Son of Satan!" He turned his gaze down to Naemini now. "However, I didn't expect you to ensnare this one... Tell me, why do you think you should dare to be near an Angel of the Lord?" Neuhaus narrowed his eyes.

Rin ignored his questions. "How do you know what we are?"

"Mephisto made a select few of us teachers aware of both your... situations...," he replied calmly. "Yukio Okumura included."

"Are you the scumbag who's responsible for these attacks on us!?" Rin snapped. Neuhaus chuckled quietly and grinned.

"Actually I am," he confirmed. "But enough about me. I want to see more of that power of yours!" As if on command, the ghoul reared up again, ready to pounce.

"I'm gonna make you pay for this!" Rin shouted. Swiftly, he drew his blade and ran at the ghoul. He leapt into the air, blue flames dancing around his body as he came down, stabbing into the monster. Swiftly, he lunged for Neuhaus. Caught off guard, Neuhaus grunted and stumbled backward. With a growl he muttered something under his breath and hastily retreated through a different hallway, dropping Naemini.

"Naemini!" Rin dove forward, catching the unconscious girl. "Dammit where'd he go?" he growled. After a moment he gave up, sheathed his sword and turned his full attention back to her. Naemini groaned and her eyes fluttered open. "Are you okay, Mini?"

"Y...yeah I think so?" She mumbled. She studied him for a moment. "What about you? And where's the demon and Neuhaus?"

"I'm fine," he sighed, closing his eyes. "But they got away." Rin looked back at Naemini to see her staring intently at him. He blushed and froze up as though any movement might get him in trouble.

After a moment of awkward silence and just looking at each other Naemini snapped out of it. "Ah!" She squeaked. "Rin, the power!"

"Oh shit, I almost forgot too!" He exclaimed and ran for the switches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I'm editing these almost 8 years later, but there is only so much I can do to improve these without rewriting them completely lmao.


	9. Chapter 6

It'd been about a day since the "pop quiz" and Naemini was asleep. Curled up comfortably in her bed, her comforter pulled around her body like a fluffy cocoon.

"Ms. Naemini..."

"Naemini!"

Naemini bolted awake and sat up in her bed with a gasp. She looked frantically about the room, looking for the intruder. In the center of her room were Shiemi and Yukio, with Rin on his back dead asleep. Naemini blinked a couple times. "When did we decide to have a slumber party in my room...?" She mumbled in tired confusion.

"I need you to stay with Rin," Yukio explained, laying his brother down on the floor. "Something's come up, but I'll let you know as soon as it's taken care of." He hurried out of the room, closing the door, leaving Naemini and Shiemi in a confused silence. Rin started mumbling in his sleep as Naemini stretched in an attempt to wake herself up. Shiemi shook his shoulder.

"Rin...? Rin, wake up...!" She said softly.

Rin's eyes flew open and he sat up with a yelp. "Shiemi! What're you doing in my room?!" He squeaked, then looked to the side with a blush and smirk. "Not that I mind or anything..."

Naemini felt a prick of jealousy and threw her pillow at the back of his head. It connected with a soft but satisfying "THWUCK!" Naemini met his eyes with an annoyed glare. "We're in  _my room,_ Genius."

Rin turned almost completely red. "Oh! Uh... Why???"

"Don't ask me...," she yawned. "Your brother came in carrying you with Shiemi and said to watch you because something came up..."

Shiemi nodded. "He said he'd heard something," she added. Rin looked confused.

"I think it's odd too," Naemini murmured.

Interrupting their thoughts and conversation, gunshots rang out from somewhere within the building. They all stood, Naemini jumping from her bed to lead Rin out of her room, still in her pajamas. "Shiemi! Stay here it might be too dangerous!" She called as she left the room.

"Rin, look!" Naemini gasped as they neared the stairs. A trail of blood led up the to the roof.

"Yukio...," he murmured worriedly and ran up the stairs. Naemini hesitated for a moment. Something was off. It was a lot of blood on the stairs as if someone was terribly wounded. However, for whatever reason, she just couldn't convince herself it was Yukio who was bleeding this much. Shaking her head, Naemini sprinted up the stairs.

As she neared the roof she heard a scream that chilled her. A familiar voice screaming in agony. "Rin!!!" She called as she burst from the door and onto the roof.

Yukio had been sent rolling to the other side of the roof by a huge ghoul, a type of Niberius to be exact. In the disgusting creature's grasp was Rin, and the ghoul was pulling on Rin's head as if he were trying to pull the head off a doll. Rin screamed in agonizing pain and struggled in vain to escape the creature.

Naemini bit her thumb and drew a magic circle on the roof's ground. "Ryujin, deity of the sea, I request you lend me one of your children. Rise, Henge!" She cried.

Almost immediately, a familiar large white Eastern dragon appeared around her. It bared its sharp teeth at the ghoul. " _Shall I take care of this disgusting creature_?" He growled.

"Help me get Rin out of there!" She ordered, climbing onto the dragon's back. She could see his eyes narrow and sense his hesitation, but he flew up at the ghoul regardless. Naemini stood balanced on his back and raised her hand. "From the heavens, I summon thee!" She shouted, "Hoshi Akari!"

The sky seemed to beam itself down into Naemini's hand. It glowed for a moment before forming a brilliant white Rapier, seemingly made of stardust. As her familiar neared the Niberius she leapt off his back and raised the blade across her chest and over her opposite shoulder, aiming for the wrist of the hand that held Rin.  She swiped the sword down across the wrist of the ghoul, slicing it clean off. The hand fell open, releasing Rin and causing the Ghoul to shriek in pain. Henge went for the opening and began tearing at the ghoul's neck. The ghoul's struggling went on for only a little while longer before it disappeared. Glancing over her shoulder, Naemini could see Yukio now standing and having smudged the chalk of the magic circle that had summoned the Niberius. She remembered Rin and called out to her henge. "HENGE! RIN!"

The dragon shot forward, catching Rin before he hit the ground. She turned to see Neuhaus raising his arm, preparing to attack Yukio. She sprinted at him and raised her sword, stopping only when it was pointed only half an inch from the man's neck. Rin too appeared on his other side, his sheathed katana at his throat.

"Don't move," Rin growled.

"Unless you want your neck skewered, of course," Naemini added.

Neuhaus scoffed, lowering his arm. "Both an angel and a demon prince threatening to kill me," he muttered. "It seems Heaven nor Hell are on my side." Naemini narrowed her eyes.

"We don't want to kill you," Yukio called out. "Stop, Neuhaus. For your own good! If you lose any more blood you'll die!"

"What the hell are you?" Rin growled. Neuhaus smirked and turned a hateful gaze on Rin.

"What am I?" Neuhaus replied. "I'm a survivor of the Blue Night, that's what I am."

"The Blue Night...?" Rin whispered, shocked.

Neuhaus glanced away from Rin to look at Naemini. She scowled and touched the tip of her sword to his neck, letting him know she wasn't letting her guard down. He sighed. "It lasted a few seconds..." he began. "My body was possessed by Satan, and I lost this..." He lifted his eye-patch briefly, showing an area of scarred skin where his eye should have been before putting it down again. "My eye... There was nothing I could have done. And when my family tried to save me, Satan took my hand and used it to slaughter them all." Neuhaus clenched his jaw. "I won't forgive Satan... or any demon I come across! And that goes for you as well!!!"

Neuhaus acted quickly, hitting Naemini's arm just right to cause her to drop her sword. "I'm going to kill you! Even if it means I die doing it!!!" He summoned one of his Niberius, something that looked like a giant thorn, and sent it flying directly into Rin's stomach. Naemini shrieked but the look on Rin's face froze her. He was smiling, looking directly at Neuhaus. Neuhaus' eyes widened in shock.

"Did that make you feel better?" Rin ground out, coughing up a bit of blood. "If that's still not enough, I can handle more... I'm used to it. Just pick the time, and I'll be there." Rin lowered his sword. "But next time promise you won't bring innocent people into this!" Rin yelled with tears in his eyes. Naemini stood quickly, ignoring Neuhaus and running to Rin's side just as he began to waver.

"Rin..!" She gasped, seeing the blood up close. She put his arm over her shoulder to help support him, although the height difference made it a bit awkward. Regardless, Rin gave her an appreciative smile before focusing back on Neuhaus.

Neuhaus stared in shock for a moment, then growled. "Don't think for a second that this is over..." he uttered, stalking past the two. Naemini tensed, waiting for an attack that never came. "I'm not the only one who'd love to see you dead..."

Naemini watched Neuhaus leave, and once he was gone, she sent Henge and her sword back. She turned to Rin. "Rin take off your shirt!"

"W-what?!" Rin squeaked, his full attention now on the short girl helping him stand.

"We need to check the stab wound!" Naemini snapped, grabbing at Rin's shirt and trying to pull it up over his head.

"Rin?! N-Naemini?!" Came a surprised squeak from the roof's door. Both Rin and Naemini froze to see Shiemi standing breathless.

"Oh, Shiemi!" Rin exclaimed in surprise. He glanced down at Naemini and she was suddenly very aware of what the scene must have looked like. Naemini quickly tried to think of how to explain herself without making it seem wrong, but thankfully Shiemi was quick. She noticed the bloody gash on Rin's belly and gasped before running to them.

"Rin you're hurt!" She squeaked. She knelt down once she reached them and patted the ground in front of her. "Lay down and try not to panic!"

"But Shiemi I--" Rin tried to explain.

"I said lay down!"

Rin blushed and reluctantly laid down in front of her, pulling his shirt up a bit to give her access to the wound... or where the wound had been. Naemini noticed it had healed quite a bit already since she'd seen it at first. She watched as Shiemi asked for and took some sort of herb from her familiar and pressed it to Rin's wound. The wound didn't seem to react, as it had pretty much closed up already. A perk to being a demon apparently. "Eh heh... Yupp! Feeling better already! Thanks, Shiemi!" Rin chirped awkwardly, laughing a bit. Naemini rolled her eyes and sat next to him. She looked at Shiemi and noticed the look on her face.

"Shiemi is something wrong?" Naemini asked.

Shiemi shook her head. "I-I've decided!" Rin and Naemini exchanged glances and he sat up to face Shiemi. Shiemi repeated herself, calmly this time. "I've decided."

"Okay," Rin acknowledge her. "What did you decide?"

"I want to become an Exorcist too," she said, a determined look in her eyes and on her face. "I want to help you all on the field when you need it."

"Oh! Sweet that's great, Shiemi!" Rin praised.

Naemini smiled and listened as the two chattered. She glanced up to check on Yukio who stood a little ways off, watching them with a grim look. She frowned. Was he... Jealous? She thought she'd felt the well-known sin rolling off him just a few seconds ago... but she could have been wrong. She decided to brush it off. It wasn't a big deal anyways. "I'm going back to sleep. If you guys need anything, leave me be."

 

***

 

Naemini let Shiemi pull her toward the amusement park. They were late after all... She turned her head up a bit to stare in disgust at the name of the park.

"Mephi Land."

"S-Sorry we're late!" Shiemi called to the group, who were already waiting at the entrance to the park. Naemini turned her attention to them as she stopped running and realized they were all staring and some were blushing. Naemini remembered what she was wearing and flushed in embarrassment.

Normally, Shiemi wore her kimono and sandals, and Naemini had worn a guy's uniform that had been tailored for her. However today Shiemi had wanted to start wearing the girls' uniform and had asked Izumo to show her how to wear it, and asked Naemini to do the same so she wasn't alone. Unable to say no to the sweet girl she had given in. Izumo had helped Shiemi with her uniform, showing her how to tie the bow and telling her to forget the vest because "it looked weird because of her boobs." Naemini had ditched the vest as well, but because she wasn't overly fond of the color yellow.

And now here she was. Wearing a ridiculously short skirt for the first time ever. In front of a bunch of guys.

"Sorry we're late!" Shiemi repeated. "Izumo was showing me how to wear my uniform and I asked Naemini to wear hers too so I wasn't the only one wearing it for the first time..."

Rin jumped down from his perch and whispered something in his brother's ear. Yukio frowned. "Why're you asking me?" He muttered quietly. Rin began to speak and ended up getting slapped in the face with a clipboard

"HEY THAT HURT, FOUR-EYES!" Rin yelped.

"You're fine," Yukio replied calmly, ignoring his brother. "You'll be grouped with Rin and Naemini for the mission."

Apparently, there was a mischievous ghost hiding in the park. Mischievous as is in flipping skirts and tripping people and such. And it was their job to find it and either exorcize it or send it peacefully to Heaven. "We'll meet back up here at noon," Yukio ordered. "Now get going."

The group immediately split apart and began their search. Shiemi walked ahead of Naemini and Rin. Naemini stared at her curiously as she walked almost robotically along the street. Glancing at Rin she could see him blushing while staring dreamily at Shiemi's.... Skirt. Naemini's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in disgust. She moved a little closer and elbowed him. "Ow!" He yelped, grabbing his side. When he caught her glare he tensed up, realizing she'd caught him. He straightened up and stared straight ahead, flushing from the embarrassment of being caught.

"Boys are pigs...," Naemini spat under her breath. She looked back to Shiemi who was still waddling ahead of them. "What's up with her...?"

Rin shrugged. "Good question," he replied. "Uh hey, Shiemi, you okay?" Shiemi turned around and Rin yelped in surprise. Naemini snorted, trying not to laugh. Shiemi had her face all puckered as if she's smelled something that disgusted her. "WAH!" Rin exclaimed. "What's up with that ugly face?! You should see yourself! Your face is all puffed up!"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong!" Shiemi managed to say. "And I'm not laughing either!" She spun back around. "C'mon! Maybe the ghost is this way!"

Naemini and Rin gave each other a confused look. Rin shrugged and continued following Shiemi, and Naemini followed him.

They passed a ton of rides, some looked like they might actually have been pretty fun, others... not so much. Naemini was too lost in thought to really care though. She hadn't forgotten what Neuhaus had said back on the dormitory roof. She'd heard what he'd said to Rin.

He was the Son of Satan. The son of the greatest enemy of God and Heaven; of Exorcists.

Naemini knew Rin was a demon, that much was certain. She'd seen his extended ears, as well as his black tail. But nothing to show him being a son of Satan. Neuhaus was probably just paranoid.

Naemini stopped when she felt something grab her shoulder. Quickly she looked to see what. "Hold on," Rin murmured, stopping Shiemi as well. Naemini frowned and looked around. What did he see?  There was a faint sense of some sort of spirit nearby, probably the ghost, but she couldn't tell where it was.

A sudden metallic groan caused her to jump out of her thoughts. Looking ahead she could see the carousel start moving.

"It's here," Rin said.

On cue came the sound of a crying boy. Naemini could see the little boy's ghost now. He sat on one of the horses on the ride. The carousel came to a stop as he came to be in front of him. "There he is!" Shiemi gasped. She looked to  Rin in amazement. "Rin, how'd you know he was here!?"

"Huh? Oh.. uh I just kinda got a gut feeling...," Rin said sheepishly. He turned his attention to the crying boy. "Hey! Quit the bullshit crying already!"

The ghost yelped and began crying even more. Shiemi glared at Rin. "Rin! You can't just yell at the poor thing!" She scolded. The ghost wailed and flew at Shiemi... and pressed his face into her breasts. Naemini opened her mouth in shock. The little shit.

"I-I was always so sick when I was alive," the boy choked out. "Mommy and daddy promised that when I got better w-we could go to the park and play...! But I died, a-and now I can't play anymore!"

Naemini felt a pang of pity for the boy. Dying before one's time... it was truly one of the saddest things in life. Shiemi stroked the boy's hair.

"Oh...," she murmured. "I'm sorry. That sounds truly awful... You must be so lonely..."

A wicked grin appeared on the boy's face. "Shut up, hag!" He yelled, pushing up roughly on Shiemi's boobs. Shiemi squeaked in shock and Rin gasped. The ghost flew at Naemini's feet and flew up around her in a spiral, forming a whirlwind around her.

Naemini shrieked as her skirt flew up and immediately pushed it back down.  However, she could tell both Shiemi and Rin had seen already, as they were both blushing furiously. Naemini flushed in embarrassment and turned to chase after the ghost. "G-get back here you little punk!" She seethed.

The trio chased the boy to the opposite side of the park from where they'd been before they lost him. Rin stomped up and glared around the park. "Where'd that perverted brat go?" He growled.

"I'll go look over there, okay?" Shiemi asked before heading off down toward the snack tents. Rin and Naemini both watched her go.

"Tch! I'm not chasing after that brat..." Rin grumbled pulling out his phone. "I'm gonna call Yukio, okay? You can probably sit down if you want."

"Yeah okay," Naemini sighed. She turned and jumped up to sit on the edge of a nearby statue pedestal.

Just as she'd started to get comfortable, a clawed hand reached down and snatched Rin's sword off his back. "Wha-- H-Hey!" Rin stammered spinning around and looking up to see who the thief was. "Give that back! Who the hell are you?!"

Craning her head back, Naemini could see a young man perched on top of the statue, dressed in green and with green hair with a single spike at the top. It was painfully obvious that he was a demon.

"Me?" The man questioned. "Oh, yes. I'm Amaimon, a Demon King, and something like your older brother. Nice to meet you."

Naemini froze. Older brother...? Then Rin would really have to be--

Amaimon slid the sword partially from its sheath and blue flames erupted from Rin. Naemini stared at Rin in horror.

Satan's son.

"Oh my God," she choked hoarsely.

Rin looked to Naemini, his eyes wide with fear, almost reflecting her own. "Naemini it's not like that! I--" Rin tried to explain.

"Huhhhh???" Amaimon cooed, his eyes spotting Naemini. "Ah is that a beautiful angel I see?" Naemini looked back up at Amaimon. "Oh, I'd recognize those eyes anywhere! A pleasure to see you again, Naemini."

"H-how do you know me?" she stammered. Amaimon tilted his head.

"Whaaat?" He asked, actually surprised. "Don't tell me you don't remember your old foe. Could it be that you fell? I guess not even angels are perfect beings."

"Old foe?" Naemini mumbled in confusion. This guy, Amaimon, must have been a part of her life before she fell.

Amaimon stood and stared down at them thoughtfully. "Well I did come here to play... so let's play rescue the Princess~!"

"What?" Naemini and Rin questioned in unison. Amaimon swooped down and grabbed Naemini around her waist and then jumped back onto his perch. "P-PUT ME DOWN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She wailed, slamming her fists against Amaimon's chest.

"Naemini!" Rin exclaimed. Naemini grimaced. Why would she ever trust the son of Satan to help her?

"Don't worry, Princess!" Amaimon chirped. "I'll keep you safe from the evil demon!" He threw Naemini over his shoulder. "Huh... Don't you think your skirt is a little short? I can see your panties."

"DON'T LOOK YOU PERV!" Naemini snapped, thrashing about, trying to free herself. "Let go of me!!!"

"PUT HER DOWN!!!"

Rin lunged for Amaimon, who dodged easily, causing Rin to break the head off of Mephisto's statue.

Amaimon landed on the support beams of the roller coaster and clucked his tongue. "Oh dear. You broke my brother's head!"

"You bastard!" Rin snarled. "Don't underestimate me!"

Rin leapt again only to be sent back to the ground with a frighteningly powerful kick from Amaimon.  "What a letdown...," Amaimon sighed. He jumped down and began punching Rin with his free hand. "I don't see why Father and Brother are so entranced with you..." Amaimon slammed Rin to the ground, landing heavily on his chest with his knee. Naemini couldn't help but cringe. "Gosh... and I was hoping to have some fun--"

Rin's hand flew out, now clawed, and grabbed Amaimon by the neck. He threw Amaimon, who simply landed easily and jumped back up into the safety of the support beams. "Yayyy! Now its getting fun!"

Naemini caught a glimpse of Rin and became paralyzed with fear. His ears had elongated, and his horns and tail were showing, both enveloped in blue flames. His teeth were sharp, deadly fangs and his eyes were the same blue they always were, but now his pupils were red.

This was not the same boy she had known. This person was animalistic-- no. He was demonic. Full of rage and hatred.

Rin roared angrily and tore a steel beam from the ride. He snarled again and threw it at Amaimon. Amaimon jumped up a couple levels, narrowly avoiding the beam. Naemini yelped as it flew past, inches from hitting her. "Careful now!" Amaimon called. "You wouldn't want to hurt your precious angel, would you?" Rin growled and tore out another beam. "Tsk tsk. An angel with no wings. Wouldn't it be a shame if I... dropped her?"

Naemini's breath caught in her throat.

Everything seemed to slow. She felt herself slide from Amaimon's shoulder and fall into the free air. She could hear a shriek from somewhere else nearby. Someone crying for help. She reached for a hand that didn't exist and watched as Amaimon's bored face became smaller as she fell.

She closed her eyes. 

"NO!!!"

Something warm enveloped her as she crashed to the ground. An agonized scream tore from her throat before it became labored breathing.

It hurt.

It burned.

She felt someone grab her. Heard someone speaking to her. The burning left as the person held her, and for that she was grateful.

She couldn't decipher what they were saying though. Everything was muffled. She couldn't open her eyes either, no matter how hard she tried. Her head felt fuzzy, and the darkness around her felt as if it were pulling her in...

With a sigh she let it take her, and let herself quit fighting. Just for a little while.

Only a little...


	10. Chapter 7

 

Rin fell back, having to sit on the ground. Still cradling Naemini, he breathed heavily, just starting to feel the beating he'd received from Amaimon just a few moments ago.

He'd blacked out for a moment --just a split moment-- and then he'd came to. Naemini had been falling through the air from the top of the roller-coaster, and Shiemi had been cowering on the ground as a steel beam slowly fell toward her. In a panic, Rin had thrown his flames out; one hand sending them to try and soften Naemini's fall, and the other to burn away the steel beam that threatened Shiemi's life.

He'd successfully saved Shiemi, but his attempt to save Naemini had faltered.

His flames were incapable of keeping her from hitting the ground, and he hadn't been fast enough to catch her without them. They had, however, made the landing softer than what it would have been, keeping her from death. Regardless, when Rin had heard Naemini's agonized cry when she hit the ground something inside him twisted. He'd stumbled over to where she landed and collapsed next to her, frantically scooping her into his arms. Now he stared down at her limp body in terror.

She was breathing. He could see her chest rising and falling as she took shallow breaths, trying to replenish the air that had been knocked out of her when she'd hit the ground. However, her eyes were closed and she had a pained grimace on her face. Rin opened his mouth, trying to think of what he should do, but his mind had gone completely blank.

"Naemini...?" He managed to whisper hoarsely, still in a slight state of shock. "Oh, God... Naemini! Naemini C'mon! Open your eyes!!!" He watched her face relax as he held her tighter. Her breathing seemed to return to normal and she began to go even limper. Rin panicked. Was she dying? There was no way-- no way would Naemini just die like that... right?

"Just... a little while...," she breathed. Rin worriedly watched her face, then began to relax after assuring himself she was just unconscious.

"How boring."

Rin looked up to see Amaimon standing not too far off, holding up his stolen katana. Rin frowned. As furious as he was with Amaimon, he was well aware that he was in no condition to fight him now. Not while he had to defend Naemini, and especially not when he was this injured.

"Now that you're in this state...," Amaimon hummed, "shall we break your sword?"

"What?" Rin murmured, his eyes widening as Amaimon held his sword over his knee, preparing to snap it as if it were a petty twig.

"Devour the eight princesses..."

Both Rin and Amaimon directed their eyes to the newcomer. Rin recognized him as a boy from his class; Yamada, the one who always wore a hoodie, but Rin found something odd about his voice. Yamada pulled a purple sword from a seal on his chest and lunged for Amaimon. "Slay the serpent!!!"

Amaimon's eyes showed emotion for once: surprise and annoyance. He dodged the boy's attack and landed a little bit further away, but not by much. "Who are you?" Amaimon growled. He was being cautious of Yamada but was obviously confident enough to remain on the ground rather than taking refuge on the roller-coaster as he had earlier.

Yamada took a stance in front of Rin. "You're Amaimon, King of Earth," he stated, ignoring Amaimon's question. "How'd a big shot like you get in here? Are you under Mephisto's guidance?"

"You're a hindrance," Amaimon replied bluntly.

"Yer the hindrance," Yamada retorted.

Amaimon looked to Rin and stared for a moment, then back to Yamada. After some consideration, he spoke again. "I guess we're done playing after all," he sighed. He sheathed Rin's sword and threw it back at him, the sword sticking directly into the ground in front of he and Naemini. "Another time perhaps." Amaimon turned and bounded away from the scene.

"Tch! He was just playing?" The hooded boy scoffed. He turned back to Rin and Naemini. "Oi! Hide the tail would ya! The others will be here soon!" He turned and sprinted after Amaimon.

Rin stared in shock.  _The hell was that guy? To think that such a strong guy existed... To think he'd stolen my sword so easily... Not to mention I'd lost control... It's just like back then..._ Rin flashed back to a moment from kindergarten when he'd lost it and beaten the crap out of some kid who'd called him a demon. He shook his head. Because of him, Naemini and Shiemi had almost died... Because of him, he'd almost lost two people who were very important to him. He'd almost lost...

A soft sigh from Naemini tore him from his thoughts.

\------Naemini's POV------

Naemini opened her eyes. She was still being held, but she wasn't sure if it was Amaimon or someone else now. Although, she was almost positive it wasn't Amaimon now. The arms that held her now were strong and protective, yet gentle, unlike Amaimon's clawed hands and careless hold. She slowly let her gaze drift upwards to see who held her, and she froze.

Rin was holding her on his lap, leaning over her protectively and watching something intently. Naemini followed his gaze to see the boy in a gray hoodie from her class fighting Amaimon. Yamada was his name if she remembered correctly. Naemini slowly realized what was going on.

Rin had saved her when she'd fallen --scratch that, when Amaimon had dropped her from the top of the roller-coaster. The warmth she'd felt before she'd hit the ground had been his flames; the blue flames of Satan. The very same flames that could very easily have killed her.

Had that been what had burned her?

Naemini must have moved or made a sound because Rin's eyes widened and he looked down at her. "Naemini!" he gasped, leaning down and hugging her closer. "Thank God, you're okay...!"

She didn't speak for a moment, staring in disbelief. Rin, a demon, the son of Satan, had saved her life and was thanking God that she was okay. The irony of the situation was unreal.

Naemini's body seemed to realize what was happening and began to catch up with her, flaring with pain. She yelped as a sharp pain ripped through her back. Rin quickly loosened his embrace and leaned back, remembering that she was hurt. "Oh shoot!" He fretted. "I'm sorry, I was just-- sorry. This is all my fault..."

Naemini locked eyes with him. She knew everything about this situation went against everything she had believed in-- everything she was. Everything about this was wrong. "Rin...," she murmured hoarsely. She opened her mouth to say more but was interrupted.

"Rin! Naemini!"

Shiemi ran up and knelt down to them. "Oh my gosh what happened?" She gasped, seeing all the blood on Rin. "Rin you're hurt! And Naemini, your back is bleeding!"

"It is...?" Naemini mumbled. She tried to sit up but another sharp pain from her back caused her to gasp sharply and lean back into Rin's arms.

"Naemini we need to get you to a doctor," Rin stated. Carefully he stood, trying not to make a move that would cause her any pain.

"Rin!"

Rin turned as Yukio ran toward them. When he saw the destruction and then Naemini his eyes widened in alarm. "What the hell happened, what did you do?! Naemini are you okay?"

"Yer slow, Yukio. I actually had to make a move because of you." Naemini glanced up to see Yamada picking up Rin's sword. "Long time, no see, eh?"

"No way...," Yukio murmured.

"What?" Rin questioned. "Yukio do you know this guy?"

Yamada sighed. "Looks like my cover's blown. Oh well. I couldn't take another day in this damn hoodie anyways." Naemini watched in surprise as Yamada pulled the hoodie off over his head and unwrapped the bandages around his chest. The boy, in fact, was a woman, with red and yellow hair and ridiculously large breasts.

"H-how did she keeps her chest so flat with just bandages..?!" Naemini squeaked in surprise. Rin made a choking sound.

"I'm Shura Kirigakure," she introduced herself, "An Upper First Class Exorcist and Senior Inspector. I was dispatched by the Vatican to investigate True Cross' s Japan Branch's 'Risk Factor.'"

"An Inspector...?" Naemini whispered. She slowly began to remember something Mephisto had told her in the two years she'd lived with him.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

_"Now you try," Mephisto instructed._

_Naemini focused for a moment, imagining herself without her horns. After she could feel what seemed to be power flowing through her, she waved her hand over her head. She watched the mirror as her horns wavered and disappeared, like a mirage._

_She'd successfully created a glamour._

_"I did it!"_ _she gasped. "Mephisto I did it!" She spun around and grinned excitedly at the tall man, awaiting him to praise her._

_He grinned back down at her and ruffled her hair. "I'm impressed!" He praised. "And only on your second try!"_

_Naemini's eyes glittered. "Thank you so much, Mephisto-sama! Now I can go out in public safely!"_

_Mephisto's eyes, which seemed to always be half-lidded, widened in surprise at what she called him. She only ever called him that when she was very happy with him, which was a very rare occurrence._

_He cleared his throat and tilted his chin up, embarrassed that he, a thousand-year-old demon, let himself be caught off guard over such a small thing. "Of course, anything for you, Angel!" he said, trying to regain some composure. His good mood was soiled when a darker thought crept into his mind. His eyes then narrowed and he knelt down so he was at eye level with Naemini and grabbed her shoulders. "Naemini, I'm going to explain something to you, and I need you to listen very carefully."_

_Naemini frowned at his sudden seriousness but had nodded regardless._

_"The Vatican, the higher-ups, if they ever find out about you-- about what you are,-- they will more than likely take you away," Mephisto murmured grimly. "I don't know what they would do to you. I don't know if they would kill you, let you live, or use you as a weapon, but I don't want to find out. If you ever encounter someone from the Vatican, make sure those horns are hidden. Understood?"_

_Naemini nodded, her expression serious. "And if they want to take me away? What do I do?"_

_Mephisto stared into her eyes for a moment, thinking carefully. "I want you to go with them if they do," he decided. "Go with them, and if they give you a trial, I want you to try your damn best to argue your way free."_

_"Argue with the Vatican?" Naemini questioned, raising her eyebrow. She smirked a bit. Mephisto, almost constantly a gentleman, had said "damn." He must actually be worried about her._

_"Yes, argue," he chuckled. "After all, its one of the things you do best."_

_Naemini rolled her eyes and smiled._

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Naemini's heartbeat quickened. This person was an inspector from the Vatican. Did she know what Naemini was? What was she gonna do? Rin noticed her fear and frowned worriedly. "Naemini...?"

"Anyways, I'm taking these two back to headquarters," Shura explained, turning to Rin and Naemini. "I'd also like to speak with Mephisto, so drag him to me if you have to." She studied Rin and Naemini for a moment. "Hey, chick with the white hair!" She chirped. Naemini tensed up.

"Yeah...?" Naemini replied cautiously.

"You able to walk?"

"Not currently..."

"Good then you can't run," Shura smiled. Naemini's eyes went wide. "Yukio, you carry her and follow me."

Yukio hesitated but walked over to pick her up anyways. Rin's hold on her tightened. "Rin," she muttered hesitantly.

"No," he growled. "What are they gonna do to us, Yukio? I'm not about to hand her over to you if she's gonna get hurt."

"I'm not yours to give up, Rin," Naemini hissed. Rin gave her a surprised look. 

"I didn't mean it like that, Mini," he began. "I just--"

"Rin," she said sternly, not meeting his eyes. She just wanted away from him. She couldn't deal with this. Not now.

"I'm not going to hurt her, Rin," Yukio clarified, trying to calm Rin. "And I'm sure Shura won't either." Rin didn't speak as Yukio scooped Naemini out of his arms. Naemini didn't look at him or speak as Shura grabbed him around the neck.

"Uhm... excuse me!" Shiemi squeaked.

"Yeah what is it?" Shura drawled.

"Both Rin and Naemini need medical attention, can't this wait a little?"

"These two are gonna be just fine. So calm down baby, cause you smell like milk."

"I smell like milk???"

Naemini stared at Shura.  _Please, you stink more of milk than anyone here!_ _What does that have to do with anything anyways???_ Shura began walking with Rin awkwardly struggling to walk with her, as his head was currently placed between her arm and breast in a headlock. Yukio followed carefully, making sure not to make any movements that would bother Naemini's back too much.

"The mission is over for today," Yukio said to the class as they arrived at the entrance of the park where everyone was waiting. "So please, return to your dorms."

"What the hell happened?"

"Naemini are you okay???"

"Can you let go of me?!"

Everyone turned at the sound of Rin's voice. Upon seeing Shura dragging Rin away, confusion set in and more questions were asked.

"Why is that guy...?"

"Aw man, I'm jealous..."

"Shima..."

"Say, she's wearing the pants to a guy's uniform... Maybe she's actually Yamada???"

"No way!!!"

Yukio didn't hang around long and began to follow Shura, leaving Mr. Tsubaki in charge of the class. Naemini waited till Shura was far enough ahead of them to where she wouldn't be able to hear them speaking. Or at least she hoped she was out of hearing range. She didn't know much about Shura. "Yuki?" Naemini asked cautiously, using Yukio's nickname for the first time. Yukio looked down at her in surprise.

"Huh?" He responded, unsure as to whether or not she was speaking to him. "Uhm, yes what is it?"

"Do you really think they won't hurt me?" Naemini murmured. Yukio stared ahead, thinking. Naemini was worried that the Vatican would take her away, or imprison her, or maybe even worse... and what about Rin? Surely he was in much more danger than her, being the son of Satan and all... "Be honest with me, Yukio."

Yukio's eyes became sad and worried. "Honest? Honestly I... I don't know," he murmured.

"And Rin?"

"I don't know about that either."

Naemini's frown deepened. "I see," she mumbled.

They came to a stop in front of a door. "Where are we going?" Yukio asked, speaking louder to Shura now. "If you need a certain key, I've--"

"Nah, I've got this one," Shura answered, cutting Yukio off. "Besides, only Senior Exorcists have the key to where we're going." Shura fished a key from her pocket and slipped it into the door. She turned it and opened the door, then entered. "C'mon, slowpokes." Yukio carried Naemini in cautiously. Naemini breathed in sharply as she saw the room.

It was an enormous room, majorly gold and white marble. Four walkways connected to a center circle, and if you peered over the edge, the bottom of the room was not visible. Instead, there was a black abyss, making Naemini grateful that there were railings along the edges of the walkways. "Welcome to True Cross Headquarters," Shura drawled with a hint of boredom. "We're currently underneath True Cross Academy."

"Right you are!" came a new, but familiar and cheerful voice. Naemini's head whipped around.

Mephisto was just making his way from one of the other walkways to meet them at the center. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Shura? Don't tell me you've snuck into my academy as an undercover inspector! I was never informed of this." Mephisto grinned at the woman holding Rin as though she were a close friend, or at least he did until his eyes found Naemini.

Naemini put a finger to her lips, trying to show that she didn't know if Shura knew about what she was. If he understood her, Mephisto didn't show any signs of confirmation. Instead, he scowled and looked back to Shura. "What happened?"

"Mephisto," Shura addressed him darkly, "let me get right to the point. You're a bastard who's hiding the existence of Satan's son from the Vatican. What the hell are you scheming?"

"Me? Scheming?" Mephisto scoffed with an amused grin. "Don't be absurd! While its true I was hiding him, it was all in the best interests of the Order!" Mephisto's expression became deadly serious all of a sudden. "I'm raising the son of Satan as a weapon for the Order. For years we Exorcists have been on the defensive, but now, if my plans go accordingly, then we can take to the front-lines."

Raising a weapon? Naemini stared at Mephisto with a shocked expression. For the two years, she'd lived with Mephisto, not once had he shown such crude behavior. Raising a person as a weapon, raising someone to be used... Surely Mephisto was just acting to keep Shura from reporting them?

"Even so, you must still consult with the 'top' before anything, right?" Shura grumbled.

"In an ideal world, yes."

Shura remained silent for a few moments. She seemed solemn now, whereas before she'd seem light-hearted and sarcastic. "Was Shiro Fujimoto involved in this as well?" She pressed quietly.

Rin looked up in surprise at the mention of the name. Naemini could feel a slight change in Yukio as well and wondered who this Shiro person was.

"You could say that," Mephisto answered. "Fujimoto raised the child until the flames came to gain strength."

"I see...," Shura murmured. "Whatever the case, I need to report to the higher-ups, and I'll be interrogating these two. I'll be using the great cell if you don't mind."

"Not at all, make yourself at home," Mephisto practically purred. "However, I do have one thing to ask. Naemini over there has some wounds that need to be treated immediately. I need to take her and Mr. Yukio Okumura to dress her wounds."

"W-wait! There's no need to interrogate my brother! Shura, I can answer any questions you have!" Yukio tried.

"Mr. Okumura," Mephisto said sternly. "Come with me." Yukio closed his mouth and watched as Shura dragged Rin toward a room on the opposite side of the headquarters. Reluctantly, he turned his gaze away as the door shut and locked behind them. Mephisto frowned now that the Inspector was out of sight.

"Naemini," Mephisto addressed with a hint of worry. "How do you feel?"

"Physically? I feel like shit, physically," Naemini grumbled. "Emotionally and mentally... I'm scared... and confused."

Mephisto's eyed her for a moment before he sighed. He turned to put a key into the door before opening it and making his way into the room on the other side. Yukio followed and Naemini examined the room as the two of them entered. It looked like a doctor's office. There were cots lined against one wall, as well as a few examination tables at one end of the room. Glass cabinets lined another wall, some full of what looked like files and books, others with herbs and medicines of all varieties. Yukio set her on one of the cots. Naemini scowled. There was just something about doctor's offices and such that she hated.

"Mr. Okumura, I want you to attend to her wounds," Mephisto instructed. "Might as well put your talent as a doctor to use."

"Right, yes sir," Yukio acknowledged before heading over to the cabinets to get what he needed.

Mephisto sat on the cot across from Naemini. "What exactly happened?" he asked her immediately. "What do you remember?"

"Amaimon attacked Rin while we were hunting for the ghost," Naemini began without hesitation. "I don't think he'd noticed me until I made a noise. When he did notice me, he called me an angel, and then by my name. As if he'd known me before I'd lost my memory." Naemini watched Mephisto's expression for any emotion that might have flitted through his eyes or anything. Maybe he knew something that he wasn't sharing. However, she had no such luck.  _Tch. Always playing it as cool as a cucumber._ "And then he used me as a hostage or bait pretty much, teasing Rin and purposefully egging him on," she continued. "At some point, Rin lost it... and to push him even further, Amaimon dropped me from close to the top of the roller-coaster. I hit the ground and blacked out... and when I came to, Rin was holding me as Shura went after Amaimon..."

Mephisto looked pissed. Naemini almost felt afraid; she'd seen him annoyed but never to this extent. She almost jumped out of her skin when a hand came down on her shoulder.

"Naemini, could you lift your shirt a bit so I can take a look at your back?" Yukio asked politely and professionally.

"It'd be easier to just take it off," Naemini answered with a shrug. She began unbuttoning her shirt before sending Mephisto a look. Mephisto rolled his eyes and turned around so she could finish.

Naemini carefully pulled her shirt over her head, trying not to bother her back. She heard Yukio hum as he examined her back. "Did the scars open up or something?" She guessed. "Shiemi said my back was bleeding. Those scars never did heal right."

Yukio gave her a confused look. "Scars?"

"Yes, the ones between my shoulder blades."

Yukio looked at her back again. He brushed his fingers over the area between her shoulder blades to see if he could feel the scars. "I don't see or feel any scars or any other wound on your back beside all the bruises. Are you sure that it wasn't just Rin's blood on your shirt?"

 _No scars???_ Naemini twisted around to see her back, ignoring her bruises screaming at her to stop. Unable to see the area of her back, she stood from the cot and began to head for the mirror on the opposite side of the office.

About four steps from the cot, however, she stumbled and began falling. "Uwah!" She yelped.

"Naemini!" Yukio tried to catch her and unfortunately tripped over the shirt Naemini had dropped on the floor.

"Uhm, Yukio do you think you could--"

All eyes stopped on Rin as Shura let him into the office. He stopped when he saw Yukio. "Yukio? The hell are you...?" Naemini didn't move. Rin's eyes found her and widened. Turning a deep red, Rin pointed an accusing finger at Yukio.

"Wh-what the hell, Yukio?!" He exclaimed in disbelief. Naemini blushed furiously. She knew exactly what this looked like. Her lying on the ground, in just her bra and her uniform skirt, and Yukio awkwardly holding himself over her with a hand under her back to hold her up. Naemini quickly sat up and shoved Yukio off of her.

"Pervert!" she snapped accusingly at Rin. "You think I'd really do something like that?! With Yukio???!!!" She turned and snatched up her shirt to put it back on.

"Well isn't this awkward!" Mephisto chuckled.

Naemini's head snapped up to glare at him. "Shut the hell up, Me-fist-my-ass," she snapped, using the first insult that came to mind.

"Oh my!" Mephisto laughed even harder now. "Somebody's irritable! I think I'll leave her in your capable hands, Mr. Okumura. Ciao~!" With a wink he disappeared in a pink puff of smoke.

Naemini glared at the spot he'd just been, her eye twitching ever so slightly.  _That eccentric bastard...!_

"Uh... C'mon, Naemini. We should get you back to the dorm so you can--" Yukio began, taking a few steps toward her.

Naemini turned to glare at him. "Just. Take me home...," she managed to ground out.

***

\------Rin's P.O.V.------

The next morning was awkward. Maybe not for everyone else, but for Rin it was.

He'd finished getting dressed and was just going to sit down. He was in a good mood this morning, his tail still untucked, flicking and waving behind him as he sat at the table to eat breakfast with Naemini and Yukio.

"Morning, guys!" He greeted cheerfully. Yukio smiled and greeted him back, but Naemini remained silent, quietly eating the last of her rice. Rin watched her, a little confused. Usually, she'd greet him as well. Was something wrong? "Hey, Naemini? You okay? Is your back still hurting?" He fretted, his tail flicking anxiously behind him.

Naemini set her chopsticks on her bowl and stood with her tray, not sparing Rin so much as a glance. "I'm fine," she answered. Rin frowned and watched her take her tray to Ukobak before leaving.

"She doesn't act like she's fine...," he mumbled to himself. Yukio frowned and shook his head.

"Hurry and finish eating, Rin," he sighed. "You're already late at the pace your moving." Rin rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah. Thanks, mom.

\--------

Rin yawned as he stumbled down the hallway toward the Magic Circles and Enchantments classroom. The bell had rung a good five minutes ago, so he was late... just like Yukio said he'd be. He opened the door, dreading seeing Neuhaus again for the first time since their fight over the weekend. Rin slowly opened the door and stepped into class. "Hey... Sorry I'm late. I fell asleep and no one came to wake me up..."  _Usually, Naemini comes to make sure I'm ready before she leaves..._

 _"_ It's cool! Just sit down, I ain't mad!"

Rin looked up and froze. "You?!" He stammered in disbelief at the person sitting on Neuhaus' s desk.

"Just hurry up and sit down will ya?" Shura sighed dramatically.

Rin walked to his seat and paused. Naemini sat on the end now, with Shiemi in the middle. Usually, they sat with him in the middle... in all their cram school classes. Rin hesitantly sat down next to Shiemi and faced the board, peeking at Naemini from the corner of his eye. When Shura began talking again, he whispered to Shiemi. "Uh... Hey, Shiemi?"

Shiemi turned slightly. "Yes?"

"Why're you in the middle today?"

"Huh? Oh, when I got here Naemini was sitting over there and asked me to sit in the middle today. I don't know why, though... Why? I'm sorry if it upsets you--"

"No. You're fine! It's just that Naemini is acting different today... Do you know what's up with her?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't..."

"Oh. Okay, that's fine."

Rin leaned forward and rested his chin in his palm. Every so often he would glance at Naemini. Each time she would just be staring ahead at Shura, listening intently, but with a bored or tired look in her eyes. Not once did she glance at him, nor did she speak. Not at all through the entire day.

Eventually, during their final class, Rin leaned back in his chair. "Psst," he tried getting Naemini's attention, but she continued to sit with her arms and legs crossed, listening to Yukio explain how to use different herbs to heal different burns. "Hey. Naemini. ... Naemini!" He began whispering louder.

Naemini still didn't look at him, but her eyes narrowed and she scowled. "What?" She hissed.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

Naemini didn't answer. Her scowl melted into a sad frown. She seemed to be thinking of an answer. Again her expression changed, now back to an annoyed scowl. "I'm fine," she replied coldly.

"If you say so...," Rin mumbled. He frowned and looked back at the board and Yukio. The bell rang and Yukio dismissed class. Naemini was immediately out the door before anyone else. Rin watched her leave and waited for the rest of the class to exit the room before approaching Yukio. "Do you have any idea what's up with Mini? She's been acting so weird lately..."

"You can't be serious," Yukio scoffed. He studied Rin's blank expression and sighed. "You are. You're an idiot. Think about what you two are. What she is, and then what you are." When Rin only frowned in confusion he put two fingers to his forehead and crossed his arm, obviously annoyed. "She's an angel, Rin, and you're the son of Satan. Do you get it now?"

"O-oh...," Rin mumbled. He frowned. He'd completely forgotten that she'd found out that he wasn't just a demon. To her, he must be an abomination... Yukio's expression softened when he saw the realization and hurt on his brother's face.

"Listen, Rin," Yukio began quietly. "I'm sorry that--"

"Don't be," Rin muttered. "It's not like it's your fault." He turned and slowly made his way out the door and back to his dorm. He couldn't help but feel hurt. He'd thought he'd be used to being rejected but this was different. He'd grown to like Naemini, made a friend in her and trusted her, cared for her, and she suddenly did a complete 180 and was now pushing him away, rejecting him.

Rin slammed the door shut behind him as he entered his and Yukio's room. He dropped his sword onto the floor and sat heavily on his bed. Leaning back he let his head rest against the wall, and he glared at nothing in particular.

_Whatever. What the hell do I care if she wants to pull that shit?_

_***_

\------Naemini's P.O.V.------

"Does everyone have what they need? Double check!"

The Cram School class stood in front of a door as Yukio went through a checklist of necessities. They would be visiting Antarctica for a mission, and the mission could apparently take up to two weeks.

Naemini was only partially listening. She knew she'd packed everything she'd need. Earlier in the week, Mephisto had taken her shopping and helped her pick out some winter hiking clothing... Although his taste in women's clothing could use some help. Besides that, she had just the necessities and then her sketchbook for if she had free time.

"Alright then, we'll enter the lodge where we'll be staying," Yukio explained. "Once there, you're to go change into your winter clothing and then meet in the lobby. Understood?" The class confirmed and he turned to the door, stuck a portal key in its lock, and opened it.

Naemini went through last and made her way toward where her room was supposed to be. She opened the door and did a double-take.

"Hey, roomie!" Shura greeted with a grin. Naemini mentally screamed.  _Of course, I'm rooming with the damn Inspector! Fucking hell..._ Naemini attempted an awkward smile.

"Uh, hey Ms. Shura," Naemini replied.

Shura stood and put an arm around her, causing her to tense up. "Bah! Relax, girl! I'm only rooming with you because you seem like the only one I'd remotely like out of all the girls!" She laughed loudly.  Naemini laughed nervously with her.  _What about Shiemi though???_

 _"_ I've got the bed on the left," she said in a normal tone now. "Set your stuff down and get ready to go, alright?" She waved and exited the room.

Naemini let her smile melt into a frown as soon as the door closed. Perfect. Could this get any worse? She tossed her bags on the bed and dug her clothes out before getting dressed and making her way to the lobby.

"Wow! Lookin' good, Mini!"

Shima winked at Naemini as she entered the lobby. She wore a hide and fur-lined parka that was surprisingly warm and comfortable considering how thin and tight fitting it seemed. Everything she wore was very natural, all different variations of brown and with white fur. Fake fur of course.

Naemini gave him a once over. "You don't look too bad yourself," she said. Shima blushed, surprised that she'd not only accepted his compliment, but she'd given one in return as well. Sort of.

Naemini smiled at him before turning to where Yukio stood. He cleared his throat and waited for everyone to quiet down before speaking. "If everyone has what they need, then I'll begin assigning partners." He looked down at his clipboard.

"Izumo and Konekomaru!"

_Okay._

"Sugaro and Shiemi!"

_Oh. Alright. Maybe I'll be with--_

"Shima and Takara!"

_Wait. Oh no._

"Rin and Naemini!"

Naemini frowned and glanced at Rin. Rin's neutral expression didn't change as he made his way to stand next to her. He didn't say anything, but Naemini could sense the tension between them. Naemini stared at Yukio in disbelief, but Yukio kept a neutral expression as usual.

"Now onto the mission," he said loudly. "Somewhere nearby there's supposedly a pack of Yetis who have been wrecking research camps and kidnapping some of the researchers. They should be hiding out in a large cave of sorts. Your mission is to locate this cave, and notify me or Ms. Kirigakure immediately.

At that point, you're to wait for the rest of us to meet with you. We will then find a way to rescue the researchers and find a way to force the Yeti's away from this area. The cave will be guarded by several Yeti's, and somewhere inside there will be more, including the Alpha. You are not to engage the Alpha. Understood?"

The class confirmed. "Alright then let's move out and split up," he ordered. The pairs exited the lodge, into the snowy tundra. Each going their separate directions, they began the search. Rin and Naemini didn't get far before a loud voice made them both jump.

"Heya, kiddos!" Shura called as she caught up with them. Naemini internally screamed.  _I jinxed myself. It just got even worse._  She mentally punched herself.

"Ms. Shura-- I'm sorry, Ms. Kirigakure?" Naemini asked. "Shouldn't you be with Yukio?"

"Nah!" the older woman scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "I gotta keep an eye on this guy for... reasons." She jerked her thumb back at Rin.

"Oh," Naemini mumbled. "To make sure he doesn't lose it again and go satanic?"

"Wh- you know?" Rin stammered in alarm.

"Tch, of course I do," Naemini answered. "You'd have to be pretty sheltered to not be able to recognize blue flames as a sign of Satan. And the fact Amaimon said he was 'sort of your older brother' kinda is a big give away."

"Geez, we're already in Antarctica," Shura snorted. "No need to be so cold." Rin only stared at the ground sadly. Naemini felt a pang in her heart but ignored it. The group stood in a tense silence.

"We should start searching," Shura declared. Naemini and turned and began trudging away. She just wanted this to be over, soon.

For hours they fruitlessly searched for caves and caverns that would possibly hide the yetis in them. Naemini could feel her toes and fingers becoming numb from the cold. She marveled at the fact that Shura was still wearing below minimal clothing; given she was actually wearing a jacket over her bikini top for once. How had she not frozen yet?

Naemini pulled her attention back to the cave she was approaching. She studied the surrounding area, checking for the yetis that were to supposedly guard the cave. She wasn't able to see anything yet, but something else caught her eye.

On the ground, caught on a chunk of ice, was a clump of what looked like white fur. Naemini crouched down to examine it. Sure enough, it seemed to be Yeti fur. She stood with the fur in hand and waved to Shura. "Ms. Kirigakure! I found something!"

Shura turned to look at her. From her bored expression, Naemini could tell she hadn't been expecting anything. Shura's eyes widened, however, first in normal surprise,  but then in slight fear. Naemini realized she could hear something breathing behind her. Slowly she turned her head to see what it was. She came face to face with a wall of fur. Tilting her head up she could see the blue face of a Yeti, staring down at her curiously. Naemini turned completely now. Her heart was racing, would it attack her? The Yeti leaned down a bit and sniffed her face. Naemini didn't move. It blinked and seemed to smile. " _Smells nice, Seraphim,"_ it huffed. Naemini's heart slowed back to a normal pace. It was friendly.

"Th-thanks," she breathed. It grinned at her.

"NAEMINI MOVE!"

Naemini whipped around to see Shura running at them, her sword drawn and ready to slay the Yeti. "Shura, wait!" Naemini yelled holding out her hand.

Something wrapped around her waist and lifted her up roughly. Naemini gasped as the Yeti fled with her under its arm.  "Wait!" She yelped. The Yeti didn't listen and continued running towards the cave. 

It didn't put her down until they were deep within the cave. Once released, Naemini turned on the Yeti. "Why did you bring me here? Now they're gonna force their way in here to hunt you down!" she scolded.

The Yeti bowed its head with a sad look.  _"Wanted to keep Angel safe. Anki sorry...,"_  it whined. Naemini frowned. "What about the other researchers? Where are they? Why did you take them?"

 _"We take humans before Alpha find them,"_  the Yeti, Anki, grunted.  _"Alpha go mad. Alpha want humans dead. Some no follow him no more. Others do. Others will kill for Alpha."_

It all clicked in Naemini's head then. So their Alpha went nuts, huh? "How could we save the Alpha? Is there a way?"

 _"To save Alpha, must kill Alpha. Only way. Take over as Alpha to save other pack,"_  Anki explained.

"That'll make them see reason?"

Anki nodded.

Naemini became aware of more Yetis emerging from connecting caves. " _Angel save us?" "Angel kill Alpha?"_  The Yetis were asking, their voices desperate and hoping. Naemini hesitated. Could she kill the Alpha? She took a deep breath.

"I will," she said with determination. "I'll kill the Alpha."

Anki howled in glee and scooped her up. The others joined in and formed a circle. Anki tossed Naemini through the air to another Yeti. In a panic, Naemini squealed fearfully, not wanting to hit the ground. She gasped however when another Yeti caught her gently and then tossed her to another, and then the action continued to be repeated.

They were celebrating. However, Naemini wasn't enjoying it. "H-hey! Put me down! I don't like this game!"

"Put her down!!!"

Rin flew at the Yeti that was about to catch her, sending it stumbling away. "Rin, no!!! They're friendly!" Naemini cried. She then realized she was still flying through the air and shrieked. "Look out!!!"

Rin turned and his eyes widened. She was flying right at him. "Whoah-- Oof!" Rin grunted as he caught Naemini against his chest, causing him to trip backward... right into a pit.

" _Angel!"_

Naemini could just barely catch a glimpse of Anki before she became a small dot in the distance. "AHHHHH!!!!" Rin was screaming as they fell.

Falling. Down down down.

 _No... Not again!!!_ Naemini mentally screamed.  _Fly! You're an Angel, dammit! Now FLY!!!_

She grabbed Rin under his shoulders as something ripped from between her shoulder blades. She gasped in pain and closed her eyes.

"Holy crap! Naemini!" Rin shouted. Naemini opened her eyes. "You have wings!"

Naemini whipped her head around. Sure enough, two enormous white, feathery wings had sprouted from her back. Naemimi stared in shock, her mouth hanging open.

It clicked in her mind that they were still falling. Naemini tried to flap her wings to keep them from falling, but there wasn't enough space. Her wings smashed and slid against the sides of the abyss they fell down. She yelped in pain and pulled her wings back in. 

"What happened?" Rin asked worriedly.

"It's too closed in! I can't move my wings enough to fly us out!" She wailed.

"Close them and let go of me!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Just do it!"

Naemini took a deep breath. She snapped her wings back in, letting them fall faster. Her instinct was screaming at her to open her wings but she ignored it. Rin twisted out of her hold on him and faced her mid-air for a second before he pulled her to him.

He was gonna take the impact of the fall for them.

\-----Rin's P.O.V.-----

Rin hurriedly pulled Naemini to him and braced himself for the impact of hitting the ground below. "You're insane!" He heard her shriek over the sound of the air whizzing past their ears as they fell. He didn't have a chance to respond before they hit the ground.

To his surprise, it was a softer landing than what he'd expected. They'd fallen into at least four feet of snow. However, they weren't clear of danger yet. Rocks and boulders that had been knocked loose by Naemini's wings came crashing down on them. Rin closed his eyes, waiting for the weight to crush them.

But it never came.

He opened his eyes to see Naemini crouched over him, her wings open and arched over them. He could tell she was struggling under the weight of the falling rocks, wincing each time a new one hit her wings. She was protecting them.

After a few minutes, the loud sound of colliding rocks ended. Naemini slowly brought her wings back in, cringing slightly as they were most likely wounded by now. The rocks were piled on top of each other enough that they stayed in place, leaving them trapped in a sort of cave.

Rin stared at her in shock. "I thought... Don't you hate me?"

Naemini frowned. "Hate you?"

"Yeah...," Rin said quietly. "After you found out what I was you pushed me away... you always got shitty when you had to talk to me."

"I don't hate you, Rin...," Naemini murmured. "I'll be honest, I tried to hate you but... What does me hating you have to do with anything anyway?"

"Why did you protect me just then?"

Naemini stared at him. "Because you're a person,  _and_ you protected me from the fall," she answered easily. "Why'd you do that? If all the snow hadn't been there you could have died."

"I couldn't save you from hitting the ground last time," he explained. "But this time I could. I would never let someone get hurt if I can do something to help them." He watched her silently for a moment before asking, "Why did you try to hate me? Why can't you? I am Satan's kid after all, and you're a freaking Angel. Shouldn't we hate each other?"

"I tried to hate you because of that reason," Naemini started. "I thought that, because of what we are, we should hate each other. I thought God would frown upon me if I were to befriend the son of Satan himself." She took a shaky breath. "I thought if I did that I would never be accepted back into Heaven.

But then I realized that God knows you didn't choose to be born as Satan's son, that it's not your fault. That's God's whole thing. He wants us to love everyone no matter what, and regardless, you've never given me a real reason to hate you. There's no excuse that will justify the way I acted towards you. Now if you were Satan himself it would be a different story, but you're not. You're not Satan."

Rin's breath caught in his throat. She didn't hate him. She didn't care that he was Satan's kid. Rin could feel himself tear up.  _It's not my fault..._  He pulled Naemini to him in a tight embrace. "Rin?" she squeaked in surprise.

"Thank you, Mini," he spoke into her shoulder, his voice muffled. She didn't say anything for a moment. Then he felt her slide her arms around his shoulders to hug him back. Suddenly she shivered and sat up. Rin sat up with her, careful not to hit his head. "You cold?" He asked. She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "Oh, hold on, then..."

Naemini watched as he took off his heavy coat. She blushed as he pulled her to him and held her close again. "Wh-what are you doing?" She protested trying to push away from him. Rin rolled his eyes.

"The less clothing between you and someone else, the more heat you'll share," he replied innocently. "We were told that during the briefing before we went to the lodge."

Naemini was bright red as she hid her face. "Of course the one time you pay attention is when the topic has to do with getting undressed with another person...," she muttered. "Pervert."

"I'm the pervert?" Rin scoffed. "You were the first one to get a dirty thought!" Naemini huffed and let herself be held. He smirked; He'd won.

When Naemini shivered again, he decided to do something that would hopefully keep her from frostbite. He let his flames awaken and envelop them both. Naemini stared wide-eyed at her hand, now covered in his blue flames. "It's... warm," she breathed in wonder. She watched the flames dance on her skin, turning her arms in different ways to see how the flames would react. Rin watched her with a smile.

To be honest...

He wouldn't mind waiting longer for Shura to find them.

 


End file.
